Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters
by Meredith McGarrett
Summary: Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams have a fishing trip planned. Both of them were sure that it will go off without a hitch this time, not like last time when they ended up hand-cuffed on a vessel belonging to the Coast Guard. But they are wrong, while being out on open waters they run into trouble that will force both of them to fight for their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

"Morning, Danno." Steve greeted him after Danny opened the front door. "Hey, Steve." Danny closed the door after Steve came in. He was surprised by Charlie who came running around the corner.

"Uncle Steve." He exclaimed, obviously happy to see him. Steve smiled when he saw the young boy runnning toward him. Steve put his arms out, kneeling down to embrace him. "Charlie, it's so great to see you." Steve told him. "You sleep well?" He asked. Charlie nodded quickly. "Look, Uncle Steve, I painted this." Charlie tugged at his hand, and Steve followed him into the kitchen. The kitchen that was a mess, crayons laying around. In the middle was Charlie's master piece.

"This is awesome. I think Danno would love for that to cover his fridge. Right, Danny?" He added.

Danny who had followed them, smiled.

"Sure, let me make some space on the fridge." After some rearranging of the fridge's decoration, Charlie's picture has found its place. "See, Charlie? Your drawing fits there perfectly. Well done, buddy." Steve told him. In return, Charlie gave him one of his gorgeous smiles. He was truly Danny's kid. "Charlie?" Danny tried to get his attention. "Let's go upstairs so you can brush your teeth, will you?" Danny knew he had to get going.

"I'll be right back." Danny told him as he and his son disappeared.

Steve sat down on one of the kitchen stairs, waiting. After another few minutes, even Grace came down the stairs. "Good morning, Gracie." Steve addressed Danny's teenage daughter. "Uncle Steve, it's so great to see you." She said as she saw him in their kitchen. Then she remembered that he was probably here because of the fishing trip he and Danny had planned for some time. "You too, Grace. It's been a while since I've seen you." He said. Grace nodded in agreement. The last few weeks had been crazy with exams and stuff. "I had a lot school stuff to deal with, sadly. I had to study." Grace explained, sitting down next to her Uncle Steve after grabbing an apple to eat.

"You had exams, huh? Doesn't really sound like fun." Grace shook her head, laughing.

"Trust me, it's definitely not fun. I can think of a lot of things that I'd rather do than having to write exams." She added, sighing. "But I guess that's school now." Steve nodded. "Better just get it over with and study. I mean I didn't like exams either when I was your age. I mean who does?" Steve said. "No one." They chorused.

Then they waited in silence for Charlie and Danny to return.

"And I wanted to ask you something." Grace stopped for a second. Steve waited for her to continue. "Out with it, Gracie." Steve gently said as he saw that the girl was somewhat unsure.

"There is this beach I want to go to. On Kauai. Tunnels Beach." Grace began. Steve's eyes lit up when he realized what beach she was talking about. "I know that one, it's awesome. Great for diving." Steve retorted. His dad had brought him and Mary to that beach when they were younger. Steve had loved it there, mainly because it was awesome for diving which he learned when he was nine.

"So I was wondering if you could take me, I would love to spend a day with you and Danno." Grace ended, her hopeful eyes looking right at Steve and he just could not say no.

"Let me talk to your dad, seeing what he says about it." Steve told her with a goofy grin.

"But I do like the the idea. Maybe we rent a chopper and fly along the coast, the Na Pali Coast is beautiful, by the way." Grace's eyes lit up at the prospect. "Danno has to say yes." She said, totally enthusiastic about the whole thing. "Well, Danny has a very particular opinion about me and helicopters." Steve said. "So I can't say yes until after I talk to Danny about this." Grace glanced at him for a second.

"You know Danno trusts you." She simply stated. "Trusts you with his life, with ours. You know that, right?"

Steve stared at her, caught by surprise.

"Danny talked to you about this?" Steve questioned quietly, his eyes glistening.

Grace shook her head. "That's obvious, Uncle Steve. From the way you're acting when you're together... You're his best friend." Grace said as if it was the most normal thing. Steve didn't know what to reply. Luckily, Danny and Charlie returned and saved him from having to answer. Although, Grace didn't expect an answer.

Didn't _need_ one.

"So you and Danno are going fishing today." Grace wanted to know, with that beauttiful smile of hers. As soon as she heard Danny coming back, she switched topics, not wanting her father to know what she had told Steve.

Steve nodded, a grin on his face.

"Yeah, that's the plan for today." Steve answered. "Sounds like fun. Hope you both catch some fish." Grace said. "Well, even if we don't, we still have the beer." A boyish grin on his face causing Grace to break out into laughing. "Right." She murmured. "We're at mom's place today. Not sure what I want to do." She then said. Danny stuck his head through the door. "Grace, we want to depart in ten minutes, okay, monkey?" He then said.

Steve looked at his friend, found himself thinking that Danny was a great father and how well both his children were. Grace had turned into a very special, great girl. Grace nodded and stood up. After she left the room, Steve's eyes locked onto Danny and smiled. "You ready, Danny?" He then turned to ask Danny. "You're asking me if I am ready to catch some fish? Hell yeah." Danny countered with a smile. "That's the right attitude. I'm glad we're doing this, Danny." Steve said.

"Me too." Danny turned to look what his children were doing.

Charlie was still upstairs doing something. Grace was watching them, amused by what she was seeing. The two men hadn't even realized that she had returned, ready to go. She was glad her father found in Steve a best friend, someone they could absolutely trust. "So, you guys ready?" Steve asked. "Yeah." Grace grabbed her bag and waited outside. Danny walked back upstairs to get Charlie. Five minutes later, the four of them were on their way to drop Charlie and Grace off at Rachel's place.

After having dropped off Gracie and Charlie, Steve started the car again. He was looking forward to spending time with Danny alone. Fishing. Nothing but them and the ocean.

His face clearly expressed happiness, that he was looking forward to this trip.

"You thinking about the water, buddy?" Danny asked. Steve simply nodded. "This trip has been coming for a long time." He then added. "I'm not going to ask if you checked the weather report." Danny let the implied question unfinished. Steve looked at him shortly, then refocued his attention on the road.

"Would you please just relax?" Steve replied.

"I will." Danny mumbled.

"We'll be in Hale'iwa shortly." Steve said. "Huh?" Danny's attention returned to the here and now. He'd been looking out of the window, amazed the nature of O'ahu. Something Danny did not think would ever be the case when he first came here. But things had changed now. He had 'ohana here, his children, Steve, Five- 0.

Right now, Danny's life was pretty damn _amazing_.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Steve McGarrett smiled as he saw Danny heading toward the pier where their boat was docked. They were now at Hale'iwa Harbor where the boat they rented for the day is docked. He'd filled out the neccesary papers and paid for the boat. Danny and he had the boat for the whole day. Enough time to do some decent fishing. He glanced at the beautiful North Shore coastline as he waited for Danny to return.

"Danny, where are you?" Steve said to himself as he started pacing around.

He'd been waiting for Danny to come back from the store. Apparently, Danny needed to pack some food so they had things to do a little picnic on the boat. "What was taking so long?" Steve asked as he saw his partner approach.

"I went to buy food and water so that we don't starve at sea. Healthy foods, but you know what healthy foods are. And you forget that I still had to park the Camaro." Danny patiently reminded him.

Steve gazed at him.

"I got two packs of MREs. We wouldn't have starved." Steve added with a shrug. Waves were splashing against the pontoon. The sail boats and yachts were moved softly by the waves plashing against them. "I don't even know what that is. And no, don't tell me, I don't wanna know." Danny instantly said.

"It just means 'meals, ready to eat', Danny." Steve defended the food he packed into his bag. "Uhuh." Danny still wasn't sure if he would _want_ to eat it.

"You sound like you are accustomed to that kind of food." Danny mused.

Steve shot him a pointed look. "I am _used_ to it." By now, Danny had figured that much.

"So it's something..."

"Yes, it's military food. And if you are so concerned about food, why don't we go to one of those nice restaurants they have in Hale'iwa? I might even take my wallet out of my pocket and pay." Steve countered as both him and Danny walked over to the boat Steve had rented for them. The owner had insisted they take this boat, for whatever reason. It was a nice boat, the _Ocean Molokini'i_.

"How generous of you." Danny teased.

Steve just grinned at him, knowing what his best friend meant. To be fair, it was kinda true. "Look, that's our boat." With that, Steve jumped on deck. Danny followed him at a slower pace. Danny shot him a look, then glanced back at the numerous sail boats docked at Hale'iwa Harbor. He was glad he had a day off, sadly, the children are with Rachel today. But that means he gets to spend the day with Steve who has planned a nice little fishing expedition.

After fifteen minutes making sure everything was in its working order, Steve's and Danny's boat made its way through the water, leaving the marina of Hale'iwa.

Steve was steering the boat in a northward direction, heading toward open waters.

"Remind me again of why we are doing this, Steven?" Danny wanted know, his rhetorical and sarcastic remark underlined by an exasperated hand gesture. Steve simply grinned at him. "Because this is fun, Danny. We going deep- sea fishing. And you like to fish. And it won't be like last time." Steve asssured him.

"Knowing you it will probably be a lot worse than last time." Danny gave back. The sun was shining.

It was the perfect weather to go fishing.

"Last time wasn't that bad, Danny. Come on, it could have been worse." Steve replied pragmatically.

Danny let out a laugh, pressed his eyes shut in the next moment as the sun shone at him directly.

Wind shuffled through his hair. "It sure could have been. But let's just focus on enjoying this." Danny replied. Steve, happy, that there was no sarcastic remark coming from his best friend. Soon, they had reached their favourite fishing spot. It was just them, there was no one around for miles. Danny and Steve threw out their fishing rods and waited for the fish to take the bait.

"Maybe we'll get a big tuny fish. Like last time." Steve suddenly said.

"Let's just sit and enjoy this." Danny said, without looking at him. "You're right." Steve agreed and sat down next to Danny. The sky was blue, waves were ploshing against their boat, the _Ocean Molokina_.

They had no idea what was about to hit them.

No idea at all.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"I don't know why I agreed to this." Danny grumbled to himself as he watched Steve looking at the control panels of the boat. "Would you relax, please?" Steve turned around and looked at Danny. Danny had no idea when their relaxing fishing trip had turned into this. And he did not like that at all. It was worrying, very worrying to be exact.

"I got this." Steve said, focused on the task at hand, repairing the broken machinery.

"Ah, I see. Is that why this boat is not moving? Because you got it?"

Danny remembered clearly what happened last time they were out fishing. They ended up being stranded at sea and with their luck they found a boat on which someone was murdered. As the Coast Guard arrived, they were the suspects until their team verified their identities.

"I'm fixing the problem." Steve replied, with a straight face.

"Really?" Danny said, faking to be surprised. "Here I thought you were just doing that for fun. Hey, when are you actually admitting that this, whatever it is is irreversibly broken?" Danny wanted to know as he sat back down onto the camping chair on the deck. Steve's head appeared from below the deck.

"You may not be able to do this but I am, if someone is able to fix this boat and get it moving again, it would be me." Steve said, clearly not giving up. "Oh, again, with the SEAL thing, Steve? The thing where you do something stupid, badass kind of thing." Danny ranted. For a moment, he totally forgot that they were on open waters, that they could barely make out the shore of O'ahu.

Their boat not working properly was _beaucop_ bad news.

"Of course, Danno. Because you like it so much."

Steve smiled at the detective.

"It always gets me shot at, Steve. I don't like it. In fact, I despise it." Danny countered.

He stared out onto the ocean. It got a little windier and water started to splash more. Also, the sky got darker. "You're not going to get shot at, Danny." Steve said patiently as he disappeared below deck, trying to repair whatever is broken. Danny sighed. It was clear they would run into trouble on this fishing trip.

He remembered losely that he said something along the lines of 'Never got deep- sea fishing with a Navy SEAL, or more never go deep- sea fishing with Steve.' Because Steve McGarrett is a trouble magnet as trouble follows him wherever he goes, including the troubles that follow him out to sea. Like right now, he can't get the boat to start and they're essentially stuck in the middle of the damn Pacific Ocean. A giant water- filled abyss, with sharks, strong currents, riptides and underwater currents. All those things that can kill you.

"Danny?" Steve questioned, looking at him. "Uh, yes?" Danny said, kind of surprised. "I didn't hear you."

"That I realized." Steve grinned at him.

"Why are you grinning?" Danny said slowly as he took in Steve's face expression. "You fix the motor so that we can get outta here?" Danny said hopeful. "Sorry to disappoint you, Danno, but we are still stranded and it looks like it is not going to change any time soon. So make yourself comfortable."

Danny shook his head.

"You are unbelievable, you know that, right?"

Steve just laughed and grabbed a water bottle. "Here, drink up, Danny."

"Why, I am not thirsty." Danny protested.

"Well, eventually you'll get thirsty and who knows for how long we are stuck here. If nobody comes, I might try and reach the shore myself." Steve suggested. "You are out of my mind, Steve. These are dangerous waters, Steve. You can't just go for a swim, it's dangerous. There are sharks and riptides. You can get caught in a riptide. I don't want to find your body along the shoreline just because you decided it would be fucking good idea to swim ashore." Danny ranted. Steve listened and quickly connected the dots.

"This about Billy Selway, right?" He asked.

Danny nodded. "About him and you."

"But we both had the same thing in mind. Saving you." Steve argued. "Only difference is that Billy was just a kid and I am a trained Navy SEAL." Steve added. "If that is the only thing that is an option, I am gonna do it, Danny. You can try and stop me but I am not about to let you, to let anything happen to you."

Danny shook his head. "This is certifiably crazy, Steve. For now, we'll wait. Maybe the Coast Guard will stumble upon us." Steve let out a short laugh. "Because that went so well last time." He muttered under his breath, an image of him and Danny hand- cuffed to middle of the boat after their last fishing expedition.

"Last time, we ended up on a very small boat on the ocean, Steve. It didn't go over well at all."

"It was a dinghy, Danny." Steve said, with a serious expression.

"Whatever, Steve, nobody cares about usibg the correct terminology except you, for some reason." Danny didn't understand why Steve was so interested in using correct terms to describe a freaking boat.

"Using concise language is important, Danny. Not doing that can result in disaster, especially in the line of work we work in." Steve countered. "You do have a point there." Danny admitted. "However, how that boat is called is not important in a shootout, for example." Danny pointed out, he glanced at the sky again. The blue sky was starting to disappear, clouds were forming. Danny sighed. Of course, the one time he was out on the water with Steve, they'd get caught in a freaking tropical storm with big waves, strong winds and a lot of rain.

They were in for an uncomfortable night.

"Look at the sky, Steve?" Danny pointed toward the darkening sky, as it started to rain. Steve's face expression darkened instantaneously as he risked quick glance at the darkening, cloudy sky.

First it was just a few drops of water, then it got worse.

"We got trouble heading our way, Danny. This is probably going to be a storm like the one Kono was stuck in, remember." Steve sighed as he glanced at the now cloudy sky. "The weather conditions are worsening, Danny. We gotta get out of here." Steve expressed. His spidey senses told him there was trouble waiting for them.

"How do you suppose we do that, huh?!" Danny questioned.

Steve shrugged.

"Don't know yet. If I have a plan, you'll be the first to know."

"This is just awesome." Danny muttered to himself. "Just awesome. Why do I even bother? Every time we went fishing something went wrong. That should tell you something." Danny ranted. "It can't be that bad if you are still able to rant like that. Honestly, Danny, I've never met someone who is that good at ranting. Except you."

"Should that be a compliment?" Danny asked back, eyeing the Navy SEAL.

"I'll leave that for you to decide."

There was a storm brewing when Steve and Danny hit a patch of wild weather during their fishing trip. They'd made half way back to shore when everything happened, where everything went wrong. Their motor stuttered and then just crashed, Steve couldn't get it to work. Also, to make matters worse all means of communication were failed miserably. "We have no radio, it died." Steve stated blankly as he discovered that the radio also did not work.

Danny did not seem like he has heard him. Steve is kind of glad about that as he doesn't want to alarm him if it is not crucial to their outcome. Steve sighed. This situation _really does suck horribly_. But this situation was easier manageable compared to what was to come.

Out of a sudden, Steve something wet at his feet.

He looked down. There was water in their boat and to make matters worse, the ocean water was steadily rising, centimeter for centimeter. "Danny?"

Steve wanted to get his partner's attention.

"Yes, Steven, what's wrong?" Steve swallowed harshly and then pointed at the boat's floor. As Danny realized what was happening to their boat, he let out a shocked 'oh', Steve nodded in agreement. "So we kind of got a real problem here, do we?"

"Yep."

Steve looked around around. Danny sighed before saying: "I'll radio it in, Steve. That is something we should have done a long time ago."

"You forgot, Danno, that the radio is malfunctioning. It's not working. Everything here on this boat is freaking screwed up." Steve informed him with a sigh.

"You are just mentioning that right now?" Danny exclaimed wildly.

"I didn't want to worry you without a good reason." Steve shot a worried look at the graying sky and then back to Danny. The weather was changing before their very eyes. And their boat was filling with water. Slowly but surely water was rising. And that meant their boat was unstable and more than likely sinking. Before someone finding them. Crap. This is not good, at all.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me, Steve." Danny threw his arms in the air, yelling.

"It's not like this mess is all my fault." Steve gave back in defense. But he felt a tiny bit guilty because this whole trip had been his idea. He should have gone fishing alone, Steve berated himself. If he was honest, he was to blame for their current situation. At sea. If he had, Danny would have been safe on dry land.

With Grace and Charlie.

But Steve had never dreamed that they would be stranded in open water once again. "I am sorry, Danny." Steve let out a deep breath.

Danny stared at him, confused as to why his best friend was apologizing.

"Why are you apologizing?" Danny wanted to know, knowing there was some sort of deeper issue below the surface. "Surely sounds a bit like self- blame and self- doubt, both emotions mostly unknown in the land of Steven J. McGarrett." He concluded, not knowing that this assessment came pretty close.

"If I'd have gone fishing alone, I would not have dragged you into this mess, Danny." Steve said.

Danny shook his head resolutely.

"You're not to blame for this, Steve. This is just a normal Danny rant." Danny assured him. "Let's figure a way out of this." Steve took a deep breath, calming down a bit. He was supposed to know what to do. He was in charge, it was on him to bring the both of them home safe. Especially Danny. "You are right, Danny, and I am sorry." Steve came to senses after his phase of freaking out.

"Okay, we can figure this out." Again, Steve's calm, collected nature came out. He started looking around for things that might help them.

The color of the sky changed.

It got really dark when Danny looked up. Water splashed against their boat.

It started to rain, heavy rain drops were falling from the sky.

There was a lot of rain coming down. Steve and Danny tried to secure the boat. The storm made it really difficult to react on time as the conditions worsened. The rain got stronger as did the wind velocity. Steve should have paid attention to the weather forecast that was on this morning. He should have, that he told himself for a moment. And now, because he failed to listen to the stupid weather forecast, he and Danny were stuck. Not only him but also Danny. Steve blamed himself for that.

He should have checked before taking off with the boat.

Although if the boat had not stopped working they'd be back in Hale'iwa by now. Hopefully, someone had noticed their absence and informed the authorities.

"Steve, what's wrong?"

Danny wanted to know as he took in the lost and helpless look plastering the SEAL's face. "Apart from our current situation, I mean." Danny added.

"I know something is going on in that head of yours."

Steve threw a glance at the sky. He was now officially worried. "I should have checked the weather forecast, Danno. I forgot." He explained, guilt evident on his face.

"Well, we can't change that right now." Danny said diplomatically.

"I put you in danger. I am sorry." Steve knew they had bigger things to worry about, but he had to let his partner and best friend know that he didn't mean to put him in harm's way. Stupid weather. "Steve, just forget about it, okay? It's not relevant right now. We've got bigger fish to fry, figuratively speaking. Also, I could have checked it myself. Not everything is on you, babe." Danny answered.

Soon, Steve had to admit Danno was right and that doing this not helped them one bit.

The boat was getting increasingly unsafe.

The water seemed like it was out to get them. Normally, Steve didn't fear the ocean. He had great respect for it but fear? He'd been trained to withstand, to handle himself in unforgiving environments. But right now, he was scared, for _Danno_ , mostly but also for himself.

But right now he was scared that this wouldn't end very well for them.

How is it possible that a nice day of relaxing fishing goes from a great, sunny and relaxing day on the water to a day like this where the water was dark and wild, when there are waves that are one to two meters. How come that a fishing trip ends in a fight for their lives?

Steve couldn't believe it.

This wasn't _fair_.

All he wanted to do was spend a day with Danno fishing. Now they were stranded in the middle of the freaking ocean.

Steve can't even make out the horizon which, if he was honest, scared him a little bit. Then a huge wave crashed into their boat, a wave that was higher and stronger than the ones before. This one had the ability to overturn their boat. Their boat rolled to one side, Danny vaguely heard Steve scream his name as Danny fell into the ocean. Steve fell as well but he jumped as he realized the boat was being overturned.

His fast reaction made it possible for him to escape without any visible injuries that might have repercussions.

Water was enveloping him.

Danny instantly held his breath, knowing that breathing in now would for sure drown him, thereby killing him. As the boat overturned it trapped Danny. He was missing the skills Steve had and couldn't hold his breath as long as the SEAL. Danny held his breath as long as he could.

His lungs were burning from the prolonged breath holding.

If Steve wanted to save him in time he would have to hurry. It was harder to keep the urge to breathe at bay. He tried to free himself from whatever was trapping him but his movements were uncoordinated, and to add to that Danny was growing tired.

"DANNY?" Steve screamed for his partner as he surfaced after jumping into the Pacific ocean. He was scared. Scared for Danny. He hoped Danny would come up to the surface again. But nothing happened. Steve knew he had to get to Danny, to make sure he is safe.

So he dove into the water after taking a breath.

Intending to save his best friend from an untimely death due to drowning.

He had his mind set on saving Danny and nothing would keep him from doing that. Danny was not going to die today. Not on Steve's watch. He'd do everything to _not_ let that happen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

Steve dives again into the raging waters. He had to get to Danny. He had to. There was no other option. Danny always has to go home. He has Grace and Charlie to take care of. Danny was still underwater, stuck. He had no experience in situations like this, not like Steve. He'd been trained for situations like this. His SEAL ninja skills were needed. The water was dark. Steve could hardly make out anything. He'd been under for maybe two minutes by now. He didn't want to know if Danny was still fighting.

He hoped with all his might that he will find the detective alive. He couldn't forgive him if anything happened to him.

He pushed deeper, swimming with all his strength to get to Danny. The water was darkening and Steve's eyes adjusted to the non- existing light. Desperately, he looked around, hoping to see Danny. He can't fail this. He just can't. It is just not acceptable. Steve swam deeper, adrenaline kept him going. Panic was growing.

He _needed_ to find Danny, now.

This was his _only_ chance, if he surfaced now, Danny won't stand a chance, not

if he is trapped under water.

Steve's lungs started to burn. But he kept going. Danny's life depended on it.

He saw the boat's shadows in the water, the name clearly readable but that wasn't what Steve was interested in right not. Then Steve could make out Danny.

Trapped, under water.

By their boat. Steve closed the distance between him and Danny and the boat quckly, his lungs protesting. He had been under water for some time, searching for Danny. But the pressing need for oxygen did not matter right now, right now everything that mattered was Danny and _saving_ his life.

All that mattered was Danny who was stuck in that boat because he didn't have the time to escape before it started to sink, that sank because someone wanted it to sink while they were onboard.

Because two minutes is a long time to hold your breath. He looked around, and then he saw someone's shadow in the water. His heart rate accelerated as he used big strokes to get over to Danny. Danny still had his eyes open, looking at him. But as Steve quickly assessed current situation, he knew Danny must be struggling to hold on. I got you, Steve's eyes seemed to tell him.

Bubbles escaped from Danny's mouth.

Steve grabbed the rescue knife from his belt to cut whatever needed to be cut.

Soon, he had Danny freed.

Danny started to swim towards the surface, his legs treading water when suddenly he stopped moving toward the surface. Crap. Danny's body was now slack, arms and legs were now moving limply in the current.

He had to get Danny who was now sinking after losing consciousness.

Steve's lungs ached as he made his way to Danny. His sight was blurring and the current strenous activity under water wasn't quite helping matters.

Steve instantly made his way through the water to Danny to help him. He'd seen this before. If he didn't get Danny to the surface sooner rather than later he'd drown, probably.

And Steve wanted to avoid that.

Needed to avoid that. Danny _needs_ to stay alive.

There is no other option than staying alive for Danny Williams. Steve grabbed his partner's upper body and with a few kicks they were going up to the surface, he used his free arm to help propel them through the salt water, with the other he had Danny. Who was very still.

Steve could already make out the surface. After what seemed like an eternity for Steve, he broke the surface, with Danny in his arms, almost forgetting to brewathe because he was so focused on Danny.

He flailed in the water as he fought for some much needed air.

Water splashed against them, Steve gasped as the spray of water sprinkled over them. With his training he managed to stay calm and attend to Danny who still was not responding.

"Danny." Steve's voice shook as he tried to regulate his breathing.

They made it to surface. The sky was darkening. Danny's head limply leaned against Steve's shoulders. Damn it. It had been too long for Danny, Steve realized that now. With shivery fingers he felt for a pulse and to his immense relief he found one. But he _wasn't_ breathing. He gasped as water splashed into face.

Still, he did not release his strong grip on Danny. He'd love to hear Danny rant right now. Because ranting meant he was _breathing_. It meant Danny was alive.

Come on, Danny. Breathe.

It was windier than earlier when they took the boat out fishing. Also, to add to their trouble the wind had shifted. Now the wind pushed them out to open water, even more exposing them to the elements.

Away from O'ahu and the life- saving coast. Waves lapped into them, continously.

Now Danny and Steve were drifting out to open waters. Steve grimaced, grimly, before turning his attention back to Danny who was still in trouble, still made no attempts at waking up and breathing.

He sputtered as his head went below water again, but he succeeded in keeping Danny's head above water which was important. "Danny, you with me?" Steve said a bit louder, as he treaded water to keep both of them above water. "Danny, answer me." He begged. He moved one hand to the man's carotid artery to feel a pulse, again. At least he hoped to find one. And Steve did find one, a strong one. Although he had one problem.

Danny _wasn't_ breathing.

Wasn't.

Breathing.

Steve started to perform rescue breathing, tilting Danny's head back. He took a breath, held Danny's nose closed before blowing air into his lungs. After the fourth breath, Danny finally started to come around.

Danny moved slightly against Steve. Steves stared down at him, relieved that Danny was _alive_ and breathing.

Then a cough erupted from his chest. He sputtered and hacked up water he swallowed. Steve reacted and tilted his head forward so that he would be able to cough up the water still in his lungs. He also started consider the possible complications of near- drowning.

For a few moments, Danny's breaths came out laboured as he sucked in air.

"You are doing great, Danno." Steve said.

"Just keep breathing." He added, calmly, he kept watching Danny intently. Danny's strained breaths slowly eased up and resumed to semi normal breathing pattern for which Steve was grateful.

"Wh't happ'd?" He mumbled, wanting an explanation. Breathing, still somewhat harshly.

But he _was_.

For the time being that was enough for Steve.

"Danny, you with me?"

"S'eve." Danny said and coughed. "That's ..." Steve breathed a sigh of relief. His best friend was alive. He did not fail in saving Danno. Although they were still in the water, could still die.

Steve was relieved that he had been able to get Danny breathing on his own again.

"You're alive." Steve said in relief. "Steve. Why are we in the water?" Danny asked, taking in a few quick, shallow breaths as talking was kind of hard of him right now, leaving him breathless. "Our boat overturned and is sinking." Steve explained, treading water and keeping both him and Danny afloat. Steve glanced at the boat that was a few meters away from them. Although it had overturned, a part of the downed boat was still above water and for now it was stable. "That's not good." Danny pointed out, letting out a cough.

"No it's not." Steve agreed, his expression dark. He knew they were screwed.

Unless someone sent out a search and rescue team, they'd have to deal with the situation. They were on their own. They were screwed. Their situation really was shitty, truth be told. Steve had a tight grip on Danny as he had yet to regain enough strength to keep himself afloat. For now, Steve was keeping them both afloat. "So, what do we do?" Danny asked, those few words left him breathless. Part of the sentence remained unspoken. 'You're the Navy SEAL, you should know what to do, how to deal with these situations. So come up with a plan.'

But it was not neccessary for Danny to say that sentence.

Steve filled it in in his mind. He had to come up with a plan to get both Danny and him to safety. Or to hold on, at least until rescue crews arrive. If they would arrive. First, someone had to notice they had gone missing. And that might take a while. Resigned, Danny pondered what might happen to them. As Danny looked at his best friend who had gone quiet. Steve was treading water while thinking hard. There has to be something he could do.

Something that did not involve swimming back to the coast and get help. Signal flare? Maybe. If he had one. But firing that one only makes sense if there's a vessel nearby that could see them.

Right now?

There was no one, except them.

Them.

Stranded.

In the damn Pacific ocean. Steve sighed. Danny would _never_ go fishing with him, again. Ever. He was positive about that one. But back to the current situation. Steve glanced back to their sinking boat. Their boat that had overturned and was now floating face down on the water. But that might _just_ help them. A small smile could be seen on Steve's face as realization painted on his face as to how they could use the overturned boat in their favor.

Steve treaded water as a wave splashed over them. For a moment, he just held onto Danny.

Hoping the wave wouldn't trap them under water. But soon enough, they were at the surface again. Gasping for air. Especially Danny who was still dealing with the repercussions of what happened when their boat overturned.

"You okay, Danny?" Steve asked alarmed as he treated water to keep them both afloat.

Danny had his eyes partially closed and was concentrated on regulating his breathing. "Yeah, I'm good, Steve." He sucked in a breath of air before continuing: "The wave just caught me by surprise." He added as an explanation. Steve was still worried. "You sure? Is your breathing okay?"

Danny nodded.

"I _can_ breathe just fine." Steve exhaled deeply after hearing his answer. "Any closer on a plan to get us out of here, Steve?" Danny asked, nervous, scared. Steve regarded him with a sharp glance that told him to please stay calm and don't panic because that is going to make the situation worse than it already is. He really did not like the water, that was for sure. "I am working on it, Danno, I promise. I will get us outta here." Steve assured him.

He sounded way more certain than he was.

It was not that he doubted his abilities, his training, it had most certainly prepared him for this. Without his training, Danny would probably not have survived. It was just that he wasn't just responsible for his own safety and survival but also Danny's. Steve knew this shouldn't bother him. He'd led in battle, he should be _used_ to this. But this was Danny and for some reason that was harder to deal with.

But the SEAL team that he led in battle were just as trained as he was.

They'd been through the same training program. That was probably why it was different for him and Danny. He was the only one who has been through the neccessary training. Steve shook his head to get these thoughts out of his head. He had more important things to focus on.

He could see the SEAL was working on a possible plan to get them through.

"Danny." Steve said, calmly, almost stoically. When Danny looked at Steve, he could see a blank expression but also determination. "I may have an idea. But I am not sure if it will work." Danny had recovered enough from his near- drowning experience and had started to tread water himself to help Steve keeping them both afloat.

"Go on." Danny told him as he glanced around, he saw water, water and more water. He shook his head in denial, and once again, this is why he hates the ocean. It always gets him into trouble. This was not good.

Steve stopped swimming as he waited for Danny to make sure the detective was able to follow him without running into any problems. When he looked back, checking. he saw that Danny followed him. "You need to get on the boat." Steve told him, calmly. Focused.

In SEAL mode, as Danny would call it.

"What?" Danny asked baffled.

"You want me to get on a sinking boat? Are you fucking crazy?" Danny stared at him, not quite understanding.

Steve nodded. "It's not really sinking anymore. It's position is actually stable in the water so it'll act as a huge flotation device for the time- being." Steve calmly and patiently explained. Danny was still looking at him as if he didn't quite know what to think. After explaining his idea to Danny, Steve started to continue to do the crawl over to the overturned boat after making sure Danny could safely swim on his own.

"It's fine, Steve." Danny told him, shrugging. "I can swim."

"I know." Steve simply said.

He was still worried and that wouldn't change any time soon. They needed to get out of this situation. A wave of water splashed into McGarrett's face but that didn't throw him off course.

When he reached the boat, he waited for Danny who was following. Steve helped Danno onto the surface of the boat. Danny was kind of out of breath when he was finally on the hard surface of the boat. Steve was right next to boat, treading water to keep himself afloat. Danny wondered why he didn't get onto the boat. "What are you doing, Steven? Why aren't you coming?" Danny asked, astounded.

"Danny, I don't know if it will hold the weight of both of us." Steve explained as if it were obvious. "So I won't join you up there. I'll just keep treading water, you rest." Steve insisted. "You need this more than I do. I'll be fine. I'm a SEAL, remember?" Danny nodded, although nothing of what Steve was spouting off calmed his nerve.

Steve leaned back, one hand on the wreck for support.

Danny sighed. "I know you think you are invincible. But you are not, you are human just like the rest of us." Danny said. Steve furrowed his brows and looked up at Danny. "I know that, Danny. But I also know that you need this more than I do. Believe me, I was fucking scared when I dove into the water, after you. Because you didn't come back up after the boat overturned. So don't argue with me on this one. You need this more, Danny."

Steve hoped this had finally convinced Danny that it was the right decision for him to stay on relatively dry ground, out of the water while both of them were awaiting rescue.

Not knowing _when_.

Not knowing _if_ they'd be rescued at all.

But Danny wasn't yet losing hope. Hope is a dangerous thing to lose. It's makes people give up.

After Steve said what he said, both men fell silent. "We have anything to signal that we need help and need to be rescued?" Steve swallowed some of the sea water that continously splashed into his face because the sea really is getting rougher, the sky was darkening more and more.

"You mean like a signal flare?" Steve asked.

Danny nodded.

"Something like that, yes. We have something like that or is the signal flare on the bottom of the ocean?" Danny wanted to know. Steve took a deep breath before attempting to answer the question.

"Sure, we have one but we can't fire it unless there is a ship nearby that'll come when seeing the flare in the sky. For now we have to hold on as best as we can. And I know this situation sucks and I am sorry for it." Steve told him as he continued floating. Danny watched him trying to stay afloat. "You okay, Steve?" He wanted to know. "We should switch places, we both need to keep our strength up. Come on, Steve." Danny insisted, trying to get him to agree. But Steve was once again being stubborn.

He could float for a long time. This was easy. Right?

"I am okay, Danny. Just stay put, alright?" Danny rolled his eyes. Of course, super SEAL would decline that offer. But it had been worth a try.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Danny had just started to relax a bit. Well, as much as it is possible when stranded in the ocean. But the hard surface of overturned boat was helping. It was a great idea to use it that way. But he was a little worried about Steve. He had been treading water to keep afloat for a long time now while he had been resting for a long time. Danny sighed.

He knew the SEAL was stubborn and that he wanted to protect Danny. But what about Steve? He can't keep treading water forever. Both he and Steve knew that. Danny realized that at this point, Steve must be exhausted.

"Steve?" Danny put out, Steve was bobbing up and down with the waves that were crashing against the ship.

"Huh?"

Steve refocused his attention at his partner. Waves were stronger now and it took a lot of concentration and strength to conquer them and succeed in staying above the surface.

But he did succeed. After all, he was trained for this.

"You are struggling, Steve. We gotta switch places, babe." Danny insisted. "We don't. I am fine, Danny. Don't worry about me." Danny let out a humourless laugh. "You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?" Danny asked rhetorically. "Get on the boat, neanderthal animal." He suggested or rather demanded. Steve just gazed at him but did not budge from his point. He stayed right where he was, in the water.

Suddenly, there was a loud creaking sound that startled both Danny and Steve. Abruptly, the part of the boat that was still above the surface disappeared a few centimeters below the surface. "Crap, what was that?" Danny exclaimed, panic could be heard in his voice. Steve instantly knew that this boat would sink and that _soon_.

This time, it would really sink and nothing would be visible from the surface, so much was clear.

"The boat is sinking, Danny. Get in the water, in the water, Danny." Steve ordered, his voice let no room for protests.

Danny heard the urgency in the SEAL's voice and followed orders. As soon as Danny was in the water, Steve swam to his side, dragging him away from the boat. Now that was completely sinking it would create dangerous movements under water that could drag them below the surface.

When they were within a safe distance of the sinking boat, they stopped the hectic swim, pausing. Steve watched as Danny tried to regulate his somewhat strained breathing. "You..."

"Don't even ask me if I am okay, Steven. Nothing about this situation is even remotely okay." Steve relaxed somewhat. If Danny could rant like this he was probably not having trouble breathing. Which was a good thing. "We are in _trouble_ , Danny."

Danny looked at his partner.

Best friend.

His face was grim, dark. Concern was etched onto his features.

"That has been true for some time now, my friend." Danny said, lightly. "This is serious, Danny. I can probably hold on for some time but what about you?" Steve sighed, scared for his partner's safety.

"You are _worrying_ about me?"

Danny glanced at him, Steve's eyes met his. "Of course I worry about you." Steve gave back. "You're my best friend, partner and better half of me. Of course I worry about you." Steve confessed, emotion in voice. Danny looked away.

Then, he murmured, softly: "Thank you, Steve. You have no idea what this means to me, babe." For a moment, their situation seemed forgotten as they had a bonding moment at sea.

"I love you too, Danno." Steve used that name 'cause it just seemed so fitting.

Danny gave him a smile and chuckle. Then he became serious again as they were still in the middle of the ocean and the weather conditions were definitely worsening.

"What do we do?" Danny asked. He hated this feeling of utter helplessness.

Waves were now higher and it became harder and harder to keep afloat by simply treading water. Every now and then a wave would come and dunk them under water again and they would surface, each gasping for air.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"Look, Steve, what's that?" Danny pointed at an object in the horizon. Steve blinked and followed Danny's glance.

It was kind of difficult with the rain.

Not to mention the higher waves... those things were making their lives hell right now. Being stranded in the ocean on a calm day was one thing but being stranded at sea during a freaking storm was another.

"It's a boat. Maybe, if we can get to it, the people on it can bring us back to Honolulu." Steve said aloud. The seemed to be colder than it was before. Maybe because of the continuing rain coming down on them. "Last time, we found a body on an abandoned boat, what if that happens again. Or what if the boat is rigged and it'll blow up with us on it?" Danny said, obviously pretty pessimistic about the whole thing.

"Blow up?" Steve asked.

"Why would someone blow up a boat in the middle of the ocean. It makes no sense, Danny." Danny just turned to him. "Actually, if that boat is a trap meant for us, then it exactly makes sense." Danny saw Steve look at him. "What makes you think we were targeted, Danny? Our boat sank and yeah, we're stranded but I don't see how ..."

"I know you don't, Steve. But you couldn't repair our boat, it filled with water and it sank. So someone played with that boat's machinery, don't you think?" Danny questioned rhetorically. His teeth chattered slightly. Swimming and treading water for that long was having an impact on his muscles as they were seizing up.

"Uh, crap." He muttered, his head got pushed under water for a second.

"Danny?" Steve's voice came to ears.

He sounded kind of scared and worried. "Danny, you okay?" He asked as his partner came up again. "My leg is just cramping up a bit. I just need to rest for a sec, wait for it to pass." Steve immediately understood and put his hand around his arm to make sure Danny stays above water even with his legs cramping up, this was the situation he'd been scared of.

 _Swim failure_.

This was not going to happen to Danny, not on his watch anyways.

And they had nowhere to go.

There was nothing but water around them. Nothing but water. Water, water, water and more water. And wind and waves and that is it. Not to mention the rain.

It was _them_ against the _elements_.

So far, the elements had the bigger hand of them, Navy SEAL or not.

"We need to get out of the water, Danny." Steve said. To support his point, a huge wave with some white foam on it crashed into them, temporarily burying them under water. Steve relied on his training, on the drownproofing he'd been through, the ability to hold his breath and stayed calm even though he knew he was trapped in the wave.

But he was worried about Danny, how he was dealing with this strong force if nature. Then he saw Danny, just as trapped as he, with his eyes wide open.

It was obvious he was panicking and Steve wanted to prevent that. It would have dangerous consequenses if Danny starts to panic now.

Steve kicked a few times.

Trying to reach Danny. Maybe physical contact make it better, at least until they could safely surface again.

The moment he touched Danny's hand, the man seemed to be calmer.

Having Steve near him had a positive effect on him and about that Steve was immensely grateful. He made sure Danny's focus was on him, then he pointed upwards. Signaling they should begin to swim back to the surface.

Danny nodded almost imperceptibly. Also, in the dark water, it was nearly impossible to really make out anything.

 _Dark_.

But Steve had adapted to lack of light down there and knew where to go.

So they began their ascend through the somewhat fluorescent but darkened water. Steve broke through the surface, quickly followed by Danny.

Steve gasped for air, his lungs burned. Salt water burned in his eyes. For moment it felt like he couldn't quite breathe as he frantically looked for Danny.

"Danny, you here?" Steve called out, worried.

"I am here, Steve." Danny was breathing heavily but to be doing overall okay.

Steve exhaled a sigh of relief.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"How?" Danny wanted to know.

Steve was right, they needed to get out of the water.

Steve shrugged. "We have nothing. We need to get to that boat." He added. "Then we might have a shot at surviving this." Danny looked at him, then to the boat and then back to Steve.

"We can get there, Danny. It's not that far out. If we can get to that current over there, it will bring us closer to that yacht." Steve explained, sure that it would work. It _just_ had to, there is no other possibility than that.

A wave splashed over them, raining water over both of their head. The wave also had a lot strength and succeeded in pushing Danny and Steve both under water for a few seconds. For a moment, Danny wondered which way was back up. Then he broke the surface. "Steve?" He called out. The SEAL was nowhere in sight. Danny treaded water, a shudder went through his body as the water caused him to lose heat. Even in warm waters, like in Hawaii, hypothermia can develop.

"Steve?" Danny panicked slightly.

Where _was_ Steve? He had been right next to him. Where is he now?

Then, out of a sudden, Steve also surfaced. Gasping. Gasping for air. "You okay, Steve? Just breathe." Danny swam over to him, supporting him for a moment, just until the coughing stopped. "'m fine." Steve got out as soon as he could breathe well enough to get two words out.

Danny just shook his head. "I don't believe you."

Steve calmed down his breathing, then replied with a snarky comment. "At least I am still breathing, in contrary to when I pulled your ass out of the depths of the fucking ocean, Danny."

"Wait, what?" Danny asked. "You _resuscitated_ me?"

"Well, I had to do rescue breathing because you were not breathing on your own, so yes, I did." Steve replied, as they resumed to their floating positions in the water. For some time, they were just floating. Suddenly, Steve's voice interrupted the silence: "We need to try and swim for that boat, Danny." Steve looked at him.

"You forgetting about the currents, Steve?"

Steve's eyes flashed. "We're already out on open water. We already are in danger now, Danny. Current or no current. Also, that current will bring us closer to the boat."

"It'll what, Steve? Drag us under water and leave our bodies floating along the shore for our team to find them?" Danny exclaimed. "No, we are staying right where we are." Danny said, shaking his head as he watched Steve's face expression change. The one that says he's about to do something very stupid. Very stupid.

He was now very determined to make it to that boat.

"If we don't get out of the water, Danny we are going drown. Hypothermia _will_ set followed by swim failure and drowning. If we stay here we are vulnerable to the elements. We have not a chance. We have got nothing, not life vests. No flotation device. Nothing. We need to get out of the water before it's too late." Steve knew they had to move fast. He was already starting to feel cold, he couldn't imagine how Danny must be feeling.

"What about the flare, Steve?"

Danny suddenly asked, happy to have found a way to the attention the boat that the could make out in distance, through the rain and the waves.

"Actually that's a good idea." Steve said, floating as he searched his pockets for the emergency flare, a rescueME flare. It's a water proof disstress flare Steve had with him on these kind of trip.

They had a seven mile radius and what wasgreat is that they are excellent for SOS signaling, not to mention the great visibility for helicopter SAR.

"Found it." He held a device up, the device was secured in his belt so that it wouldn't get lost in the water.

"This thing is great for signaling rescuers our position." Steve explained as he pressed SOS signaling on the device. Instantly, the area around them was brighter and both Steve and Danny hoped someone would see them.

But after some endleas minutes of waiting and hoping, Danny and Steve realized it was useless.

"This is useless."

Steve nodded in agreement. "We need to swim for rescue. Let me turn off the flare. I don't want spent all battery life on this."

"Because you think we might need this again. You don't know for how long we'll be here, fighting for our life." Danny stated honestly. Steve nodded in reply. "Yeah, that's why we need to spend the battery life of this flare very catefully. We don't know how we'll be lost at sea before someone comes and saves us."

"This is just great." Danny muttered under his breath.

"Hey don't lose hope, Danno."

"I am not."

"Good." Steve simply answered after securing the flare onto his belt again. "We gotta start swimming, Danno."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Steve heard Danny's teeth chatter.

"You cold, Danny?"

"Uh?" Danny was ripped from his thoughts as he heard McGarrett say something to him. Then, "yeah, I am."

"Me too."

Steve, for once, admitted weakness. "I'm proud of you, buddy." Danny smiled at him while kicking to keep floating. "So, about the boat." Steve started to ask as the wind and the waves got stronger. "We need to get out of here."

Danny sighed.

"I hate you for this, you know that, right?"

"Love you too, buddy." Steve replied, traces of a faint smile around his lips as he went into SEAL mode, using every ressource he's got to get them closer to that boat. That boat was their life insurance right now. "Follow me, Danny." Steve started swimming, with fast and effective strokes toward the boat.

Danny was following him.

After a few meters, Steve stopped swimming and glanced back to assure himself that Danny was still behind him and not at the bottom of the damn ocean. He was. A wave surprised him and wrecked his balance. For a few second, he was struggling to regain focus but was able to keep himself floating. Steve resumed swimming. After his muscles started cramping, he paused and started floating again. He took that as an opportunity to wait for Danny who was a few meters behind him and not quite able to catch up with the SEAL.

"You okay?" Danny asked. "Just muscle cramps. They'll go away, don't worry." Steve shrugged it off.

He looked toward the horizon and quickly estimated how long it would take for them to to reach that boat. "We are making progress, Danny." Steve said. "Just another hundred meters or so and we should reach it." Danny couldn't believe when he saw that Steve actually looked _somewhat_ relaxed. In _this_ situation.

Danny laughed.

Steve stared at him in confusion. "Why are you laughing, Danny?" Steve asked as he glanced at his partner, not quite understanding why Danny was laughing.

"I'm just thinking about how much fun this must be for you." Danny said, a smirk on his face. Steve stared at Danny, his face expressionless. "Because it is so much fun to watch you stop breathing." He gritted out, drily and sarcastically.

Danny stopped, he had not expected this reaction ftom Steve.

Not at all.

"You know was talking about the long- distance open water swims?" Danny retorted. "The ones that you so much like as you do them pretty much every morning before coming to work."

"I am not denying that I like them."

That was Steve's simple answer. "But this is not fun, this is swimming for survival. Not training open water swims." Steve added, strongly.

"Steve, I didn't mean to..." Danny began.

But Steve cut him off. "It's okay, Danny. This situation is stressful and people deal with stress in different ways. Yours might be making inappropriate comments."

Steve glanced around, it was becoming harder to see anything. Danny started to wave a hand in front of his face when Steve finally responded.

"Let's just swim, okay?" Steve avoided.

"Fine, if you say so, wouldn't want to mess with super SEAL." Danny just couldn't not say it. He loved the face Steve makes when something like that happens. Steve's well- known aneurysm face.

Steve groaned, his aneurysm face appeared. Danny smiled before once again concentrating on the task at hand. "Just shut it, Danny, and start swimming." With that, the SEAL resumed to swimming, Danny following closely behind.

Swimming.

Whoever had said deep- sea fishing is relaxing has never done that with Steve, really, Danny thought as he resumed swimming. Which was hard in this very unforgiving environment. He concentrated solely on swimming.

Making mistakes here could very much prove fatal here. Danny knew that.

Steve was aware of that as well.

He _was_ alive because Steve had rescued him when he was trapped beneath the boat, had given him mouth- to- mouth in the middle of the ocean. Danny was grateful for that.

They were now close to the boat. "We are almost there, Danny. Come on, you can do it." Steve cheered him on.

He'd forgotten about earlier.

Steve and Danny had more pressing things to focus on. Like getting on that boat.

Go on, Danny. That's what he told himself. Danny could feel his lungs burning from the exercise and he could feel himself getting tired. He can't imagine how Steve must be feeling as he had very little to no rest in the past two hours they'd been stranded on open water.

When they got nearer to the boat, they realized that it was actually a larger fishing vessel than a yacht or a boat. Danny was out of breath from all the swimming. "This isn't a boat or a yacht, Steve." He stated.

Steve nodded as he could concur the statement. This was _no_ yacht or boat.

"It's a ship." Steve recognized.

Steve started to swim nearer. Soon he realized that the ship was pretty much stationary, not moving. "Danny." His remark got Danny's attention. "The ship is stationary, that's why we were able to catch up."

"Is that good or bad?" Danny dared to ask.

"Don't know yet." Steve replied.

"Maybe we should scream, to catch their attention. There have to be people on the ship that can hear us screaming, right?"

"Can't hurt to try."

So they tried screaming and calling out for help but nobody heard them. "I don't anyone hears us, Danny. It's useless." Steve said somewhat resigned.

"It's not."

Danny insisted. "People will hear us."

"It is."

Steve didn't want to shatter Danny's hopes of rescue but he had a weird feeling about this, he figured it might be a long way until they were finally rescued.

"I don't think anyone can hear us. This ship seems abandoned. I got a weird feeling, Danny. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is."

Danny looked at him, searching.

Waiting for him to continue.

"I am going to find a way onto this ship. You, stay put. And don't come near the ship's marine propeller." Steve added as he continued swimming with fast strokes. As Danny watched Steve move through the water he was amazed at how natural swimming seemed at him.

Steve was truly a gifted swimmer.

Danny was relieved to have Steve here. Because having him here left him with a feeling that made him feel safe despite the urgentness of the situation. After what seemed like an eternity but was in reality five minutes Steve reappeared.

"Found a way onto the ship." Steve relayed information. "Best news I have heard in a while." Danny let out a small laugh.

"Super SEAL here always finds a way to do the impossible." Danny added, chuckling even if they were in the water, with high waves and stormy winds.

Wind gushed around them.

Harshly.

Making lots of noise.

"Finding a way onto the ship is not what I'd call the _impossible_." Steve countered.

"Yeah, there's that." Danny said dryly.

Even Steve smiled.

"Let's go." Steve went into SEAL mode as he lead the way to the place where they would try and board the ship.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Neither of the two men had a real idea in what trouble they were about to walk into.


	3. Chapter 3

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

Steve started to swim nearer.

Soon he realized that the ship was pretty much stationary, not moving. "Danny." His remark got Danny's attention. "The ship is stationary, that's why we were able to catch up." "Is that good or bad?" Danny dared to ask. "Don't know yet." Steve replied. "Maybe we should scream, to catch their attention. There have to be people on the ship that can hear us screaming, right?" Danny suggested.

Steve looked at him before nodding in agreement. "Can't hurt to try."

So they tried screaming and calling out for help but nobody heard them. "I don't anyone hears us, Danny. It's useless." Steve said somewhat resigned. "It's not." Danny insisted. "People will hear us." But Steve shook his head, confident in his assessment that nobody was hearing their screams for help.

"It is." Steve didn't want to shatter Danny's hopes of rescue but he had a weird feeling about this, he figured it might be a long way until they were finally rescued. "I don't think anyone can hear us. This ship seems abandoned. I got a weird feeling, Danny. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is." Danny looked at him, searching.

Waiting for him to continue.

"I am going to find a way onto this ship. You, stay put. And don't come near the ship's marine propeller." Steve added as he continued swimming with fast strokes. As Danny watched Steve move through the water he was amazed at how natural swimming seemed at him. Steve swam around the ship to find a way to board it.

"Found it," Steve exclaimed as he was making his way onto the small ship. He was glad to have found them a place to stay, at least until they were rescued. Maybe there would a working radio. Which meant they could radio for help, the Coast Guard would come and pick them up. But there was this feeling in his gut again, warning him. Telling him to be careful, alert as they had no idea what would hide in the corners of this - apparently - abandoned ship.

"I found a way onto the ship." Steve relayed information as he reappeared next to Danny again. "Best news I have heard in a while." Danny let out a small laugh.

Even Steve smiled.

"Let's go." Steve went into SEAL mode as he lead the way to the place where they would try and board the ship. "Follow me, Danny." He ordered as he swam over to a ladder leading to the ship's deck, it was kind of hard as the waves made it difficult to move quickly and smoothly in the water. "Be careful. This ship kind of makes me nervous." Steve confessed. Danny glanced at him in surprise. "You wanted to come here." "Because we have nowhere else to go, Danny. That is the whole damn reason. And I didn't want to ..." He stopped. "Anyways, be careful."

"Says the man who is known for going without backup." Danny mumbled under his breath.

But he knew that Steve was right, that they should be careful as they had no single idea of what was awaiting them. Meanwhile, the rain intensified as it came down on the ocean, waves were stronger again as both men swam over to the ladder. "I can go first." Steve offered. "To make sure everything's clear." "Good idea, you know. But what if there are hostiles that start shooting at you the second you board this ship?"

Danny stared at him, worriedly.

"Well, of course if they shoot I'll take cover. Defense is our only tool right now, seeing as we have nothing that can be used as a weapon." Steve countered, already mentally preparing himself for the mission.

"Just don't pull any crazy stunts that end with you or me getting shot." He replied with a sigh. "Please."

Steve did not say anything because he knows there is no guarantee for that. Danny watched him anxiously from a 'safe' position. Steve boarded the ship, before climbed over the railing he checked for any suspicious activity on deck.

"It's all clear, Danny." He informed Danny who had been patiently waiting for further instructions regarding their proceedings.

"Can I climb up now?"

"Yes." Came the clear- cut answer from Steve who continued to watch the deck attentively. This was what he had been waiting for. Danny now began with the ascend on the ladder and soon he was there. Steve helpfully offered his hand to pull him up which he gladly accepted.

When Steve was onboard the _s_ hip, he helped Danny board the ship as it was a little difficult seeing as the ship was lying a lot higher in the water than a normal boat. So they had to use the ladder on the starboard side of the ship. "Thanks, Steve." Danny muttered as he was onboard the ship. "No problem, buddy. Let's go figure this out." Steve said, apparently already having developed a plan in the back of his head.

"If this was a cruise ship or so, there would people walking around." Danny shook his head apprehensively. "This is bad, Steven." He added. "I can feel it."

"I know." He said in a grave voice.

Danny could hear the seriousness in the tone. "I take it we have to have a look around. Maybe this isn't abandoned. But I guess this seems unlikely." Danny suggested.

"This is most certainly abandoned?" Danny asked. "There is nobody on here, no passengers, no crew. No one. At least not that I can see. But ... there is another possibility that we haven't yet considered which that perhaps they are below deck?" Steve asked rhethorically. "And that is maybe the reason you can't see them." But in reality, Steve did not believe what he was saying. Not _really_.

Danny shook his head.

"Something feels weird, Steve. I don't have a good feeling about this." Danny stammered. "Stay here, Danny. I'll go it alone." Steve promply suggested. But Danny wouldn't have any of it.

"You are not going to go without backup, you hear me? You going without backup always ends with you getting shot." Danny instantly protested. "So you're coming or what?" Steve wanted to know as he got ready to case the ship. "Let's go find a radio." Steve said, ready for their newest 'mission'. To get a hold of radio and get word out to the outside world.

"You ready?" Steve asked his partner.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Danny said and followed his partner into the inside of the ship. They were moving quiet and careful, on the lookout for anything that might endanger their safety. Steve turned around to Danny, telling him quietly that he agreed with the detective's assessment. Danny was a few steps behind Steve. The hallways were carpeted which allowed them to move quietly.

He was right, something about this ship doesn't feel right, there was something about this ship that the SEAL couldn't quite place. Danny was right about this.

Something was wrong about this situation. A ship this size shouldn't be this quiet, this abandoned.

There had to be a reason.

Steve McGarrett got the feeling that they wouldn't like that feeling so much. "This way, Danny." Steve whispered, leading them into a small service alleyway. "Why are we going this way? You know where you going?" Danny gave back, keeping down his voice.

"I know my way around ships, Danny." Steve McGarrett said as if it was a matter of course. "And this will lead us straight to the bridge." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Just lead the way."

"I am getting us to that bridge." Steve replied as they walked down the corridor, quietly and always observing their surroundings very carefully. "Just trust me."

"Trust you."

"I did save your life, Danny."

"I do trust you. I trust you very much. Can we please end this conversation and get this done? I want to go home, sit on my coach in underwear and watch the Jets. Next time, we are doing that."

"That's what you said the first time, Danny." Steve noted.

"Just shut up."

"Okay." Steve gave back, quietly smiling to himself at Danny's ranting.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Grace stared at her phone. She was sitting at the dinner table, across from her mother. She smiled slightly as she read Will's text message. _Hi, Grace. You home?_ She was about to reply as she was interrupted by her mother's voice. "Grace." Her mother said in a stern voice, her British accent noticeable. Grace looked up. "Would you please put the phone away?" Grace sighed but did as was asked. Not long after, another 'pling' sound was heard, coming from her phone. Grace was sure it was Will.

Rachel looked up from the magazine she was reading. Charlie was in his room, playing.

"Mom, please?" Grace asked.

"Fine. But put the phone away after that. Remember, you still got the maths problems to solve." Rachel patiently reminded her.

"I know, mom, I promise I'll do them." Grace gave back, slightly annoyed. Suddenly, there was a thunder which led to Grace flinch suddenly. "Woah." She mumbled under her breath as she walked over to the window and threw a worried glance toward the darkened sky. It had been raining since three hours ago which is why they weren't on the playground. Grace figured that's what Rachel planned because of Charlie. If they had done that, she'd probably asked her mother if she could go over to Lou's house to meet Will.

Hopefully, Danno and Steve were somewhere safe.

"It's just another storm, Grace." Rachel said from behind. "But Danno and Steve are out there somewhere, mom. Steve wanted to take Danny fishing." Grace told her mother.

"Oh." Rachel's reply wasn't a very useful one.

Grace grabbed her phone, opened the messages she had received from Will. _Do you wanna come over for some pancakes? Lou you, Will_. Grace's eyes lit up as she read it. "Mom, I have a question." Grace asked, slowly, carefully. Maybe her mom did not want her to go out in this weather because she was worried. But she needed to see Will. "Yes, sweetie?" Rachel looked up and over to her oldest child. "So, Will and I want to do our maths homework together at his place. Can I go?"

Grace, of course, didn't mention the pancakes. Maths homework was just a really good explanation in this particular case. And they'd probably even do them. "Will? Isn't that ..."

"Yes, my boyfriend. Lou's son. Lou's Five- 0, just like Danno. Mom, can I? Please?" Grace begged. Hoping she'd eventually cave and say yes. Rachel abandoned her magazine and stood up, pacing as she glanced out the window. The weather really sucked today. Rachel sighed. She gazed at Grace, her girl was staring at her with hopeful eyes.

"Fine. But I want you to come home at seven o'clock at the latest, okay?" She told her daughter, smiling at ther.

A smile spread over Grace's face.

"Thanks, mom. Love you." She told her as she disappeared into her room, the room she had at her mom's place.

When she reached it, she immediately started to reply. _Sure, on my way. Love you too, Grace_. Grace grabbed her backpack and went downstairs. After sometime she reached the Grover family residence in Manda.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

When Steve and Danny reached the bridge from where the captain of the ship normally operates the vessel, Steve went in first, followed by Danny. They didn't have any weapons on them because they're on the ground of the ocean. "All clear." Steve called out as he made sure Danny and he were alone at the bridge. Danny stood in front of the instrument panel, wondering what everything was, that is until Steve tells him to search for the radio.

Danny knew what his partner meant.

They'd been working together for six years now and they've gotten close, they are now like brothers.

"Sure, I'll go search for it."

"The radio, Danny. Come on, hurry up. We need to get moving. We are too exposed here." Steve warned. "I know we need the radio." Steve simply replied, "Just a reminder, I'll be on lookout. Hurry up."

"Of course I will."

Danny checked everything near the control panels as well as on the walls. "This ..." He began but was interrupted suddenly.

Steve saw the device as well but his attention shifted in an instant as he heard footsteps coming nearer.

 _Too_ exposed was the thought that ran through Danny's mind as he heard Steve's silent warning echoing through the brige: "Be quiet, someone's coming." He mouthed. Danny had to act fast and find a place to hide. He crawled behind a huge structure, hoping ge'd he shielded from the bullets that will undoubtedly be fired in the very near future. Worst part was that Steve and Danny had no weapons with them, all they can rely on are their skills in hand- to- hand combat.

Right on point, a figure appeared in the door, separating the bridge from the rest of the ship.

He had a gun.

"Crap, take cover, Danny, get down, stay down." Steve shouted as he moved from his lookout point to the bridge, trying to get near to the radio. He saw Danny, hiding. Momentarily he felt relief that Danny wasn't in the direct line of fire. Then a shot, there was barely enough time for Steve to duck, take cover. He 'fell' down right next to Danny. They could hear more shots being fired.

Steve breathed heavily, adrenaline running through his veins. "He's got us cornered, Danny. We got a problem."

"Yeah, someone shooting at us on an abandoned ship." Danny said, angry at the situation they were in. "And I don't have a gun or a vest, for that matter." Steve threw an impatient, focused glance his way. Danny muttered quietly, with an annoyed voice: "Next time, I'll go on a fishing trip with you, Steve, I'll remember to bring my vest."

"Yeah, do that. But we have to get outta here first."

"Sh, just be quiet." Footsteps were closing in.

This _was_ really bad.

It had been a damned _trap_ for them, possibly. "Any idea on how many shooters are involved?" Danny whispered, hoping for more intel on whatever this was.

Steve shook his head.

"I saw only one. But there could be more." Steve added, leaning against the structure they were hiding behind. Bullets continued flying through the room, forcing Steve and Danny to stay where they are.

If there was more than one their luck just went from really bad to worse.

"I know something." Steve suddenly said, he had an idea how to get to the radio, maybe even take out the shooter in the process. Bit it was a long shot. Before Danny could say something, Steve was already on the move. "No, Steve." Danny mumbled to himself, strained. Damn, Steve always putting up some heroic action while putting his life on the line. The detective watched as he scooted over to the radio.

"What are you doing? Just stay down." He whispered. Steve, of course, hasn't heard him, how would he through all the noise caused by bullets crashing into the ship's interior, damaging the control panel of the bridge. Steve wouldn't rest until the radio was securely in his hand.

Knowing Danny was safe, for now, Steve made his way over the radio.

"Steve, watch out."

Danny's terrified, alarming yell caused Steve drop down behind a counter, thereby avoiding being hit by the shots fired. Steve could see Danny from where he was hiding and locked eyes with him, telling him without the need for words that he would be careful. Then, Steve saw an opportunity as the perpetrator stopped paying attention for a few seconds. But those few seconds were enough for Steve to run over to where the radio was located.

The man with the gun saw what he was going to do and fired a few shots at the SEAL. Danny's heart rate accelerated as he saw the man shooting at Steve, luckily missing him as Steve was moving very quickly. And frankly, the perp wasn't a _very_ good shot. Thankfully. Steve was able to dodge all of them. Except for one. When he got hit, Steve had almost reached the radio.

One bullet hit him.

Pain exploded and for a moment, he wasn't sure if he cried out or if he was going to pass out from the pain he was experiencing. If he was, he was sure, Danny would have heard it. The man had momentarily stopped firing at them.

For that, Steve was glad.

He leaned again a wall that was acting like a shield and for now, it was protecting him. Now that he was in a relatively safe position, he looked down. His shirt was covered in red liquid, escaping from the bullet wound. As far as Steve could tell it did not hit any vital organs. Also, the bleeding wasn't that bad, not as bad as this situation could have been. "Fuck." Steve exclaimed, he pressed a hand against his bleeding wound.

"You hit?" Danny called out from where he had taken cover.

"Yeah." His voice shook. Steve breathed in deeply and closed his eyes for a second. He could _do_ this. He just had to get to the radio and not get shot a second time.

"You see the shooter, Danny?"

"Negative, there's no sign of him." Danny gave back, carefully watching their surroundings. Danny tried to catch a glimpse of Steve. Worried about him, especially now that he's gotten himself shot. "It's like he has suddenly just vanished." He disclosed quickly.

At that, Steve looked up mildly concerned. "Good, that means I have a shot at reaching the radio." Steve informed him. "Be careful." Danny told him. Momentarily neglecting his bleeding wound, he made his way over to bridge, quickly identifying the radio among the other - partially - destroyed instruments.

He reached for the radio.

"Mayday. Mayday, this is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett onboard the _Ocean II_. We are under fire. I repeat, we are under fire and need help."

Steve hoped he would reach someone.

Anyone that would be able to help them get out of this FUBAR situation. "We can't read you, please repeat. Over." A voice said, static crackling over the radio. Steve cursed inwardly, of course this would not be as easy an task as it had seemed to be. He had to do this, for Danny.

If they knew where to look, it'll be easier to locate him and Danny.

Hopefully _alive_.

"Mayday, this is Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett. My boat sank. Now we are on another ship taking fire. Expedite Coast Guard." He gave it another try. This time, the transmission seemed to get through, maybe they'd soon have an extraction plan which was great. The voice of the dispatcher was hurried after Steve gave him the coordinates.

"We'll send out a boat as soon as possible. But it'll be some time until we can send out a boat to your location as all of our ships are currently used because of this major storm and a great influx of incoming emergency calls." Steve closed his eyes for a second, for a second he felt dizzy, probably an indirect result of the gun shot wound and the blood loss accompanying it and he brushed his hand over his face in a distressed motion.

This was just great.

What was he supposed to do now?

"Please send help. We're in desperate need of help."

Now there was another gun shot sound, Steve looked up. A bullet was embedded in the wall one meter left of him.

Steve exhaled.

"Steve!" Danny called out, frightened. Steve turned around and finished the call to the Coast Guard just in time.

Mission accomplished.

He had gotten to the radio and was able to send off a mayday call. But they had no idea what was awaiting them, what was to come. That Steve and Danny had a much bigger and serious problem that they have yet to discover...

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"Grace." Will exclaimed happily after he opened the door. He immediately saw that her hair was wet. "Come in, before you get cold." He said, glancing at her. "I'm so glad I'm here, Will." Grace told him as she followed him into the kitchen. "We're at mom's place today and well, I had nothing to do." Will turned around to look at her, giving her a grin. "I'm glad you're here, too." He then said, reaching for her hand while entering into the kitchen.

"Ready for some pancakes?" Will asked. Grace nodded as she felt herself led into the kitchen.

They sat down at the kitchen table. Soon, Will realized Grace was somewhat distracted, he just couldn't exactly pinpoint it. But there was something off.

"Grace?" He asked, concerned.

"Huh?!" She responded.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he noticed her distractedness that was so unlike Grace.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Steve took a deep breath and steadied himself. He could feel his energy fading. But there was one last thing he had to do. That was take the man down who did this to him. Steve realized he did have a tactical advantage from his vantage point. He smiled to himself. The man who fired at him had his back to him and Steve took advantage of that position. Danny observed from his hiding place Steve's move.

He saw the typical Steve McGarrett _I- am- going- to- do- something- incredibly -stupid-_ expression on his face.

Then Steve charged at the shooter.

 _No, Steve, for once in your life just stay put_ , He thought to himself. McGarrett was determined to end this here and now, Steve's body crashed into the man's body, sending him flying through the air.

The man was surprised by the unexpected attack which worked in Steve's advantage. Before the man could make any move to get up again, Steve stopped him by holding him down, Danny saw an opportunity to get a hold of the gun and kicked it out of the man's reach. "Take it, Danny." Steve ordered, keeping an eye on the man on the ground, holding him down.

Steve gazed down at the man and then to Danny, "Make sure our new friend here does not do anything stupid."

"Screw you." The man said angrily.

Steve and Danny ignored the man and his tries to provoke them. "Who are you? Where is the rest of the crew?" Steve asked instead of reacting to the man's words. He hoped to gather a little more information on what was going on here. Why he and Danny landed on this boat, why _theirs_ sank - because it was apparent that the situation they were in right now wasn't some weird coincidence, or one that was planned beforehand.

The man started laughing eerily.

"You really don't get it, do you?" He exclaimed, grinning slightly.

Steve had enough.

His face clearly said so.

"You're screwed. So damn screwed. This is a game. And you were checkmated seven moves ago."

Steve grabbed the man's shirt, impatiently and worried about this being some sort of bigger ploy. "What do you mean? What the hell are you talking about? Talk." Steve demanded harshly, Danny glanced over at him concernedly. But the man on the ground kept quiet while just having this freaky smile on his face. As Steve reciprocated that worried glance Danny _knew_.

That there was something very wrong.

Steve and Danny just had no idea of what _exactly_ was wrong. No way of knowing what was wrong.

Danny, as did Steve, now realized there must be something much bigger and much more lethal on this boat than a simple hand gun. "Steve, I think there is some bigger plot going on."

"I agree with you." Steve said quietly.

Steve turned his attention back to his attacker. "What do you know? Start talking." But there was no reaction from the man. He just continued to have this creepy grin on his face that freaked Steve out. He seemed like he was crazy.

In all likelyhood, he was.

"You know this is awesome. I wasn't even sure this would work. Getting Five- 0 to this ship. But it worked, didn't it?" He smugly replied, obviously extremely satisfied with himself and his actions. Steve shook his head. "Danny, come over here for a second." He said, motioning for him to come over. "Search this ship, Danny. Look out for any timers and similar." Steve told him quietly. "I'll try getting information out of this bastard." He continued. Danny simply nodded and handed the gun over to Steve before walking off into the hallway. The man laughed.

Steve saw Danny leaving the bridge, a bad feeling was emerging in his gut, even stronger than before.

And the gunshot wound had _nothing_ to do with it.

No, this feeling was different.

Way, way different.

"So you disabled our boat so that it would malfunction and sink at some point, by which we were too far out on open waters, am I close?" If looks could kill, the suspect would be dead right now.

"You have a very sharp mind, commander." The man laughed again which was getting on Steve's nerves. "Someone at that marina had to have been paid off to make sure we would get that particular boat, am I close?" Steve said, angered by what was happening. Not even in their free time, they could have a break from work stuff.

"Now you get ready to have your minds blown."

The man laughed evily. Steve looked at him, disgusted, then he realized something, something that would make the difference for all of them. What if there was something else on that ship?

Something way more dangerous?

Something that could wipe them out in a matter of seconds, just kill them?

Steve McGarrett looked at him alarmed. This sounded a lot like someone had planted a bomb here, and that it was due to explode. "You working alone?" Steve's voice was harsh, relentless. His bullet wound hurt, a lot but now wasn't the time.

"Why should I tell you that?"

The man looked at him interested. "Because you don't have a choice, we're going to find out."

He chuckled.

"We'll see about that." He muttered under his breath while glowering at McGarrett with a cold stare. "You are going to die anyway. Doesn't matter if I am working alone or not. Either way, you're dead."


	4. Chapter 4

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

"We'll see about that." The man muttered derisively, his smile somewhat malicious.

Steve shot a worried glance over to Danny who seemed equally concerned. "We'll see. But you continue to feel save. By the end of this, you're going to be floating on the bottom of the ocean." He gloated, smirking sardonically under his breath while glowering at McGarrett with a cold stare.

"You are going to die anyway. Doesn't matter if I am working alone or not. Either way, you're dead."

Out of a sudden, Danny called out as he found something. Something alarming. Steve had not realized his partner was no longer in the room. He'd temporarily forgotten that Danny went to search the ship for explosives.

Steve had secured the gun to his holster after Danny gave it to him.

"Steve?!"

Steve instantly heard the alarm in his partner's voice.

"Stay there." Steve warned the man, he looked around for anything could be used as a hand cuff- replacement. When he had the man's hands secured, he pushed him up. "Walk." He ordered. The man chuckled but followed orders, he was ready for it to happen. He was looking forward to it. Although by the end of it, he'd be puzzle pieces in the ocean.

"Danny, where are you?" Steve called out to his partner.

"In the hallway, hurry, we might have a problem." Danny sounded incredibly worried by what he was seeing.

Something that was beeping in very close intervals.

Steve arrived at Danny's side in less than fifteen seconds, and almost instantly he realized what he was staring at - a timer. And a bomb designed to take out the entire ship. Turns out Danny had been right.

"Steve, please tell me this is not what it looks like."

Steve instantly recognized the threat, the Navy had taught him to spot these things. And this right here was a reason to run. Like hell. "Run, Danny. This is a timer. Someone rigged this ship. We need to get off this ship now." Steve spoke hectically, already turning on his heels, releasing the man's hand- made cuffs.

"We have one minute before this explodes. We need to get off the ship. Run, Danny." Steve yelled frantically. Both Steve and Danny started running, not caring whether or not the suspect followed them.

Danny and Steve were sprinting back through the hallway they came through.

Danny and Steve started running, no longer concerned about the man that had been attacking them. All that was on their minds was get the hell out of here before everything goes to hell.

Steve yelled out while running, "Let's go, let's go, let's go, this bomb's gonna explode."

 _Forty seconds to detonation_

Steve and Danny reached the end of the hallway, sprinting back to the deck of the ship.

"Which way?" Danny followed Steve as they hurried along the seemingly never- ending corridors of this goddamn ship. "This way, come on, Danny. We gotta get outta here now." Steve yelled back.

Danny accelerated, the detective hoped they would soon be on deck.

Danny had reached the deck, well, almost. He was almost there. Danny pushed open the door that leads onto the open deck and sprinted over the railing, intending to jump back into the water. "Steve, hurry up." He yelled, worried. Danny was scared as he realized that Steve had fallen behind.

"Coming, Danny." Steve's voice sounded kind of strained, Danny worried about him.

This was not good.

At all.

Steve falling behind now would be a death sentence for the man.

No, Steve, come on, you can do this. You are Super SEAL aftervall, Danny thought as he got ready to jump into the water.

Steve continued to run as fast as he could, even with his side injured. But his gut told him that he probably wouldn't be fast enough.

It wasn't enough.

That much he _knew_.

"Just jump, Danny. I'm right behind you." Steve exclaimed as he ran.

At the same time pressed a hand to his abdomen where the bullet had hit his flesh. Steve still remembered the feeling as it tore through his flesh. It was this sorta burning feeling followed by nothing but pain. But he couldn't, no would not dare thinking about that right now. It was mind over matter.

 _Mind over matter_. Steve could do this.

He could _do_ this.

Right?! Steve had to, there was no other option. He'd die if he gave up now, just cease to exit. Which is why he bolted as fast as he could. His mind was simply focused on running, on achieving his goal of reaching the ship's deck in less than five second if he wanted a decent shot at coming out of this alive.

"Steve."

 _Ten seconds to detonation_

Danny called out Steve's name as he got ready to jump overboard to save his life. With a splash, the detective landed the unforgiving ocean, water running into his nose. For a moment, he didn't know where he was. With a few quick movements, he is able to surface just as Steve reached the ship's deck.

He is not gonna make it, Danny realized.

It was too late.

His partner was gonna die in that explosion.

"Steve!"

He screamed for his partner to hurry the fuck up but then came to the all too obvious conclusion that his indestructable partner was experiencing the adrenaline crash resulting from getting shot. Blood was exiting the wound, that much Danny Williams could make out. The sky had a strange color to it. Waves were high.

The ship moved from one side to the other.

Steve slammed into the railing as he lost balance, yelling out in surprise, suppressed panic was in his eyes, when he had regained footing he had lost valuable seconds.

But there was nothing he could do about that right now. With tears in his eyes, Danny turned around and started swimming away from the ship. He needed to get to safety. Steve would have wanted it that way.

When he reached safety, he turned around just in time to see as Steve jumped into the water.

Danny's heart was harshly beating against his chest.

He knew an explosion would soon follow. He had to take cover. Danny instinctively turned his face away from the imminent explosion that was to follow.

 _Five seconds to detonation_

A new spurt of adrenaline surged through his battered body Steve, the existing pain was set aside and Steve gathered new steength to make the jump. The SEAL jumped in a last ditch effort. He used the rail to help him do that.

He flew through air after his feet left the railing. When Steve jumped, he knew it was a close call.

For a millisecond he thinks he might have a chance at hitting the water before the timer goes to zero but that is unlikely. An instant later, there was an enormous explosion, lighthing up the surrounding sea with a deafening sound. The bomb went off, destroying pretty much everything in its wake. As he falls the ship exploded into hot, wild and angry flames.

A huge explosion rocked the ship, fire burst from the ship's interior.

Steve was blasted backwards by the force of the blast.

The force of bomb displaced the water, sending off multiple huge waves into all directions. It was something Danny hadn't been prepared for. For a second, his thoughts went to Steve.

Did he make it?

Or did the explosion kill him?

The flames got smaller as the explosion slowly receded, Danny could make out the ship again, the ship was flattened, no longer existing. All that was left was debris floating around in the water, smoke rising up from the ship, obscuring the ship, thereby making it impossible for Danny to see anything clearly.

Debris were raining down on the water as a smaller, second explosion spewed another flamed mass of debris into the sky. Therefore making them dangerous, flying projectiles getting thrown around by the explosion.

Waves were rippling through under him as the water churned viciously.

Danny wasn't really prepared for when the waves due to the resulting shockwave hit him with full force. Simultaneously, the ship explodes into pieces that get thrown around at high speed. A huge ball of fire exploded upward, smoke filled the sky, the majority of the ship was gone. The rest, what was left of it, was on fire.

Danny got swamped by several closely following waves. He resurfaced, gasping for air, arms partly flailing. He knew they were in trouble, in deep trouble.

He looked at the wreckage that was once a nice ship, a small passenger cruise ship, now it was just debris, black smoke. Danny's heart hammered heavily in his chest.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

The shock wave sent Steve flying.

Steve had no control over anything. Steve tried breathing but everything was too much. His world exploded into pain as he was clipped by falling debris that were catapulted into the air by the incredibly strong force of the blast.

But the SEAL kept fighting to stay awake, that is until he hits the water with full force. He's got barely any time to prepare for impact. Not even that. Steve plunged into the water seconds after the explosion. On impact, his vision tunneled and he tried to stay in control. One thing he hated was _losing_ control, just like now.

Pain almost knocked him unconscious, his body bruised from the impact on the water, and the gun shot wound was adding to it. When Steve went into the water, he was instantly aware of the gravity of the situation. Underwater. Pain. Discomfort. Surface. Bits and pieces of what happened appeared in his mind, trying to cope with the situation.

Find a way out of it.

He could hear Danny's voice in his head telling him. 'Come on Super SEAL, you can find your way out of this. If anyone can it's you. Pull off some Navy ninja trick, you always have one of those up your sleeve.'

But deep down, Steve knew he wasn't invincible. Even if he likes to think that he is. Even if he's a SEAL.

Steve is _still_ human.

And now he was vulnerable. The water had the overhand.

But despite the odds, Steve was still conscious at that point. He realized that he was in the water.

It happened all very fast, too fast. Steve instinctively held his breath, moving his extremities in an attempt to get to the surface. Steve understood very well that if he didn't surface soon, he'd drown. That was very likely to happen. He was aware of that. So, he pushed the pain to the back of his mind and _tried_ to swim. He had one goal which was reaching the surface to breathe in air. He blinked and gazed around, while starting to figure out which way was up.

Steve felt his chest constricting. His chest began feeling tight, his lungs started aching even more.

It was a very uncomfortable feeling.

Steve blinked to clear the fuzziness, while giving a few weak kicks. Steve figured that he must have suffered a chest injury at some point but he did not have the energy to even try to work out what it was, or why his chest felt as restricted as it did feel like. Everything hurt, his arms as well as his legs were tired from the inefficient movement, his brain was tired as well. Steve knew he was screwed.

He wasn't able to breathe as he was still trapped under water.

Steve told himself to ignore the growing discomfort. _Keep fighing, focus on the goal._ The SEAL is painfully aware of the fact that his scope of being able to do anything was quickly closing.

Steve still held on, did not give up.

Giving up wasn't an option.

It was out of question. If Steve was going down this way, he'd go down _fighting_.

Steve's efforts to swim became more and more uncoordinated. Holding his breath suddenly was anything but easy to do, a task he should be able to do for some time, under 'normal' circumstances. He was trained in holding his breath for extended periods of time. Because of his injuries, Steve's body can't do the simplest functions as it should normally be able to.

However, these weren't normal circumstances.

Due to his current situation he wasn't able to suppress the need to breathe.

There was water in his nose, he took a breath while being under water.

Steve had lost orientation.

His ears started ringing. For a moment, black spots impacted Steve's vision.

Slowly, Steve's brain came to the realization that he wouldn't be able to surface. It was over. Steve's chest constricted even more and this time, water entered his nose, dripping into his airway, thereby disenabling completely.

One of his last conscious thoughts was how _ironic_ this was.

Him, an experienced Navy SEAL, someone specially trained in water combat, having been through drownproofing, dying due to drowning. This is something Steve'd never imagined.

He'd never imagined dying _this way_.

Steve had always thought that he would die because of his line of work, during a mission maybe. But not like - _this_. A fishing trip gone wrong killing him. He'd never- But before he could finish his thoughts, he knew, just knew, that everything was about get very bad, go very wrong. And that there was nothing he could do about it.

Except trying.

But Steve wasn't very successfull. But he also had not given up yet. In fact, that he was still aware of the danger and able to think relatively clearly even in this fucked up situation

Steve tried to make it back to the surface but his heart was racing in his chest, preventing him from focusing his concentration on swimming, the need to breathe got more pronounced. This was the end of line. Steve felt the darkness coming. His vision slowly greyed out, no matter how much he tried to fight it.

Steve doesn't stand a chance.

For a split second, Danny and Grace's faces appeared before, he stopped moving altogether.

Just floating, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

 _Water_.

Pain is spreading around his abdomen, it was originating from the bullet wound, a new wave of agony returned out of a sudden and fiercely, taking Steve utterly and completely by surprise. It was an unpleasant surprise.

Overwhelmed by pain and worsening confusion, Steve breathed in although he knew he was underwater but he couldn't suppress the urge to breathe. His lungs were in desperate need of some oxygen. But instead of O2, he inhaled water. The aspirated water blocked his airway in an instant. It was over.

Steve realized that, his eyes were wide open in fear.

 _Panic_.

He does not want to die today.

I'm sorry, Danno, for not trying harder. But I did fight. I did in contrary to what you may think. I love you, Danno, Steve thought with a sad smile on his lips before he could feel himself being pulled into oblivion.

Darkness beckoned, threatening to envelop him.

Eventually, he wouldn't be able to fight it any more. He'd given everything he could possibly do but he _failed_. Steve desperately hoped that Danny had survived this, hopefully unscathed. At saving himself. Steve knew he had only a few seconds before he'd pass out. Not that it would matter anyway.

This was it.

There was no way out of it. Steve was aware of that, and there was nothing that could be done. Blurriness darkened his view, water was everywhere.

Steve tried one last time, one _last_ time to fight.

To return to the surface.

Soon, however, the SEAL had to learn his efforts were not doing shit. Steve thought to himself, so this it, huh? This is how I am going to die?

He'd always thought he'd die on a mission in Afghanistan serving his country or due to a case that went wrong, ending with him getting shot.

That is how he'd thought he die.

But not like this.

Drowning.

Unbelievable.

He was going to _drown_.

Water instantly filled his airways as well as lungs. Shortly after that Steve blacked out. He let go. His vision tunneled, greyed out and then he just lost consciousness, drifting toward the darkness.

Steve's body went limp as he stopped fighting against the water.

 _Disappearing._

Into the depths of the Pacific ocean.

Floating.

Just letting go.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

A strong wave buried Danny's head under water.

Instantly, he held his breath. It was obvious that the huge wave was caused by the explosion. The was was around him, so much water. It was dark, he could hardly see anything.

Danny knew this was _bad_ , downright bad.

His next thought shook him to the core.

 _Steve_.

What about him? Where was he?

Danny tried to remember which way was up and which way was down. He had no idea. There was too much water around him, just too much. There was nothing he could do.

The explosion was more or less huge.

One thing was clear.

It was huge enough to destroy the entire ship and whoever might have been on there. Debris were flying around, a dark cloud could be seen over the ship, smoke filling the air.

For a moment he couldn't breathe, Danny Williams squeezed his eyes closed as he gasped for air.

When he opened his eyes again, there was smoke. Smoke that filled the air. Debris lying scattered around in the water. The ship itself was on fire. There was nothing left really.

"Nooo." Danny cried out.

In sheer horror, Danny saw his best friend flying through the air and landing harshly into the water, getting clipped by debris on the way in the water.

Danny's heart weighted heavily in his chest, constricting.

He had to cough for a moment.

Danny couldn't make anything other out than water and debris floating around. A lot of metal from the now destroyed ship and more debris. The smoke made it hard to see, as it made his water. He realized he couldn't see Steve.

Steve, that thought circled around in Danny head as waves rolled over his head and threatened to drown him. But Danny fought back. Steve needed him.

Steve wouldn't come and save him, not this time.

This time, he was on his own.

And that thought circling around in his head alone was _incredibly_ scary and utter most terrifying. He couldn't ask Steve as it was clear as day that he most likely had drowned as a result of what happened - the explosion and the gunshot wound to the abdomen that the SEAL sustained - he would need to figure this one out on his own.

Don't panic. That's what Danny told himself as he anxiously looked around to search for the stubbom SEAL.

The water is safe, and it won't hurt you.

 _Lie_.

It just screamed into his face. The detective realized he was saying all of this just to make himself feel better. In order to calm himself down.

 _Don't panic._

It was Steve whose voice in his told him that. The SEAL had given Danny this advice a while back before going in for a raid, as he must have known that Danny was a bit nervous before going in.

Danny asked himself how many miles they were offshore as he moved through the water. He figured it were a lot of miles.

Damn it, it could feel his pulse race. His body was aching as he continued on swimming which was kind of difficult because of the swells. Then Steve saying, give in to panic and you die. Don't let fear and panic overwhelm you. Danny could still remember Steve's voice, his tone plain serious as the Navy SEAL had told him this.

Danny looked around, trying to get some sort of sense of orientation. He needed to know where he was right now. Sure he was in the middle of the fucking ocean surrounded by miles and miles of nothing but water.

And Steve was gone.

He was _on_ his own.

Because Steve, his best friend and brother, was _gone_. Dipped below the surface.

Danny squinted, trying to get the water out of his eyes while taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. He needed to focus on saving Steve. That was his primary objective right now.

Finding Steve and rescue his ass from the bottom of the ocean.

Danny was on his own, he was on his own with having to save Steve and this was something he was _not_ going to fail at.


	5. Chapter 5

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

Danny saw his best friend flying through the air and landing harshly into the water, getting clipped by fiery debris on the way in the water. Danny's heart weighted heavily in his chest, constricting. He had to cough for a moment. Danny couldn't make anything other out than water and debris floating around.

A lot of metal from the now destroyed ship and more debris, a flaming mess of debris. The smoke made it hard to see, as it made his water.

He realized he couldn't see Steve.

Frantically, Danny Williams glanced around trying to make out Steve in the midst of chaos, his eyes wide open in openly shown fear.

Steve, that thought circled around in Danny head as waves rolled over his head and threatened to drown him. But Danny fought back.

Steve needed him.

Steve wouldn't come and save him, not this time.

This time, he was on his own.

And that thought circling around in his head alone was incredibly scary and utter most terrifying.

He couldn't ask Steve as it was clear as day that he most likely had drowned as a result of what happened, the explosion as well as the gunshot wound to the abdomen that the SEAL sustained while being under gunfire onboard the ship that had been rigged, Danny would need to figure this one out on his own.

Danny looked around, trying to get some sort of sense of orientation.

He needed to know where he was right now. Sure he was in the middle of the fucking ocean surrounded by miles and miles of nothing but water.

And Steve was gone.

He was on his own.

Because Steve, his best friend and brother, was gone. Dipped below the surface.

Danny squinted.

Trying to get the water out of his eyes while taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. He needed to focus on saving Steve. That was his primary objective right now. Finding Steve and rescue his ass from the bottom of the ocean.

Danny was on his own, with having to save Steve and this was something he was not going to fail at. Because it's more than likely that the explosion killed Steve or at least severely injured him. Danny was worried, he hoped the stubborn SEAL had survived this.

He just had to.

Danny gazed around dazedly.

A knot twisted in his stomach, due to Steve missing. Debris floating around everywhere.

But there was no sign of Steve anywhere.

"Steve." Danny called out but knew that an answer is highly unlikely.

Flames, debris that were floating around in the ocean. But there was no sign of the SEAL and that was what alarming to Danny. If Steve was alright he would have surfaced by now. That much is for sure. It could only mean one thing, Steve was in trouble. In some really big trouble.

That is, if he is still alive.

Chances are that the detonation killed him. Danny started swimming, searching for his friend. Maybe it was easier to make out Steve underwater than above water. Because if he was floating.

It would be under water.

Him.

Floating.

Unable to rescue himself because the blast knocked him out.

He had to find him. Debris were floating around, when he looked up in the sky a black cloud was right above them.

A result of the explosion.

He dove under the surface after taking a deep breath. He needed to find Steve.

He searched for McGarrett, his eyes wide open.

His lungs started to burn due to oxygen deprivation.

Danny knew he had to resurface.

He did.

As he broke through the surface, he took another breath and went for another dive, to search for Steve. He had to be there somewhere. Danny couldn't see much, just a few meters ahead of him, the water was dark.

Debri was floating around.

But there was no sign of Steve.

He stayed down until he could not anymore.

When his brain once again signaled that it wanted oxygen, Danny reluctantly returned to the surface.

But hell, giving up was not an option.

"STEVE?" He screamed his partner's name, his voice was cracking due to the amount of emotions that he was feeling right now. Desperately, he continued searching for Steve.

He yelled out again, hoping he'd answer by some miracle. But there was no answer.

On the surface, there was no sign of Steve.

Water was everywhere.

Without Steve, he'd be dead by now.

Danny took a deep breath and got ready to go for a dive.

Danny's eyes were wide open as he dove into the wet, cold water.

He searched, looked but there was no sign of Steve. Danny knew he had to surface to breathe. When he broke through the surface, he gasped for air, using that opportunity to look for Steve above water.

But there was no sign of him.

Another dive, followed by another dive.

Danny felt himself losing hope that Steve would be found alive.

That word continuously played in Danny's mind.

Alive.

Chances of that were decreasing the longer the time Steve was missing for.

"Steve?" Danny's apprehensive and frightened voice was shaky but there was no sign of the Navy SEAL.

He started to dread what was to come, what might happen, in what state he may find Steve.

No Steve.

No goofy grin that the SEAL wears when he knows he's scared Danny by doing what he did. There was nothing. Except the burning ship and the floating debris as well as the disgusting smell of fuel.

Please answer, he begged silently. Just this once, please.

On his next dive down, he could make out the floating, very still form of his best friend. He could see his shirt through the water. Determined to save Steve, Danny dove down again, when he reached Steve he realized something.

He wasn't moving at all.

When Danny got to him, Steve was in the water, floating and face down.

There was no doubt that Steve, the one he often refers to as SuperSEAL even though Danny knows Steve is human and can get hurt just as any other since he was not invincible, had essentially drowned. The effects of getting shot and having been in an explosion would be enough to render someone incapable of swimming and staying above water.

Just like right now.

Danny quickly swam over to Steve, determined to get to Steve.

He moved through the water quickly. Danny was shocked anew when he reached Steve's unmoving body floating around.

Only six meters.

It was a horrifying, staggering sight that made his blood run cold.

Steve.

Unmoving.

Surrounded by water, extremities were limply moving alongside the current.

His non- responsive, unmoving, waterlogged appearance perturbed Danny to the point of almost panicking. Almost being the operative word. The blonde detective swam faster through the water in order to reach Steve.

The sea water seemed to sink a few degrees.

Seeing the normally strong and agile man like this, it just did not seem right. Steve's eyes were half- closed and his mouth slightly open.

No.

Steve could not be dead.

No, Danny didn't want to go there. Danny was not going to go there.

Steve was alive.

Regaining strength, Danny grabbed Steve's shirt.

When it slid from his grasp, he swam after Steve who was just floating. He knew he had to get him soon or he would have to resurface without Steve.

But that wasn't an option.

Once again, Danny grasped a fistful of Steve's shirt to pull him upwards.

This time he was successful.

Then he hooked his arm around Steve's torso, started pulling him up, with odd flurry of leg kicks he was able to propel him and Steve up to the surface.

It just took a few one- armed swim strokes to get half way to the ocean's surface.

His lungs were screaming at him to get the hell to the surface.

He could feel them burning.

Danny hardened his grip on Steve to make sure Steve wouldn't glide out from his grip. Unfliching, Danny pushed on, not caring that his muscles were stiff or that he was thirsty, it was something Danny's mind is pushing as far away as possible.

The only thing that matters right now is reaching the surface.

Soon he could make out the dim light as the detective was only a few meters away from the surface.

Danny _wanted_ to be there already.

A few seconds later, he did it.

Danny shot out of the water with a tight grip on Steve, coughing. His lungs that had been starved of oxygen while under water had him gasping for precious and much needed air.

Waves were still a few feet high.

It was very windy.

The storm raged on and produced some not so helpful waves.

Danny saw that.

Why couldn't the water be at least calm?

Then again, why would it be calm when it could be rough and stormy?!

If anything can go wrong, it will.

This is happening right here.

The detective worked on controlling and steadying his erratic breathing pattern.

Then his attention turned to Steve.

Steve's body limply hung in Danny's arms. There was no doctor needed to see that he wasn't breathing. As soon as Danny had surfaced and had normalized his breathing pattern, he started assessing Steve's condition.

Steve hanging limply in his arms, eyes closed, decidedly not responsive.

His mouth was partly open.

His face pallor was bad, pale to almost translucent and his lips had taken on a soft bluish tone.

Danny's breath hitched as he realized what meant.

Steve was _not_ breathing.

At that moment it felt like a knife going through his heart. "Come on, Steve, don't do this to me." Danny pleaded, on the verge of losing it. However, he had to stay calm under pressure, for Steve.

Danny couldn't lose him.

This situation was awful, so much had happened and they were alone, without anyone knowing about them being stranded in the water.

As he was coughing, Danny attempted getting a glimpse of just how badly Steve was hurt, and from the looks of it things were bad. Danny's heart pounded heavily in his chest, hoping that the SEAL's heart is still continuing to beat as performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation would be impossible to perform in the water without any hard surfaces nearby.

Just water. A whole lot of water.

Miles and miles of water. Surrounding them.

Danny could barely make out land.

He swiftly guestimated when the storm would pass and make landfall on O'ahu but the greying, cloud- covered sky painted a rather dark picture. To make things worse, it had started raining.

Rain drops fell from the overcast sky as Danny had different, way more pressing and important matters to solve.

Saving _Steve_.

From certain death if nothing is done to to get his circulation/ breathing started.

Danny put his trembling fingers on his best friend's neck, searching for a pulse, not caring that rain fell down on his face. It was not important. Simultaneously, Danny tried to evoke a reaction from the unresponsive man in his arms.

Danny let out a sigh of relief when he found a pulse.

Blood was pulsating weakly and threadily beneath his fingers. He could feel Steve's heart sluggishly thump beneath his fingers. But there were no sign of the SEAL breathing on his own.

His chest was not moving up or down.

But at least there was a pulse, albeit a very slow and thready one.

And that had to count for something.

"Steve? You hear me, buddy?" But there was no answer coming from Steve who was in a bad way.

There was no sound at all.

Danny tries to position himself in way where he could perform rescue breathing as it became clear that Steve wasn't breathing on his own.

Danny and Steve were in a shit- load of trouble right about now.

Danny was well aware of that.

To say Danny was worried is putting it lightly.

Instead, he was scared shitless.

Scared that his partner who is so much more to him than just that would not make it out of this situation that totally deserved being described as _fucked up beyond recognition_.

Danny focused on assessing Steve's many injuries, first he slapped Steve's cheek for a few times while trying to get him to respond.

But the SEAL was completely out.

Unsconscious.

With a bleeding abdominal wound and probably other life- threatening injuries caused by the blast.

In a fluid motion, Danny put his hand against Steve's sternum, and pressed his knuckles hard against it. Trying to evoke a reaction from Steve.

Maybe that would trigger a response.

But nothing.

To Danny's horror Steve's lips had a bluish tint to them, pointing toward lack of oxygen. That kept playing in Danny's head, lack of oxygen that could lead to brain damage.

Danny looked into Steve's bloodied face, noticing it looked pale, almost ashen.

The blood on his face made it look even worse.

"Damnit, Steve, fucking start breathing."

Danny knew he had to start rescue breathing. Steve had survive, there was no other possibility. So he placed his mouth over Steve's while blocking his nose with his fingers.

Danny sucked in a deep breath.

Then blowing air into Steve's lungs.

He checked if there was any change after pulling away.

His chest deflated with the exhale but Steve made no motions to start breathing. Danny repeated it.

He does it again, the result is similar to first try. Chest deflates but there is no inspiration that follows. Again, Danny takes a deep breath before repeating the process.

Over and over.

A third breath, then a fourth.

Followed by a fifth rescue breath. But Danny was not giving up, he simply refused to as it clearly was not an option that he dared to consider. He knew Steve was a fighter, that he would try and fight this. If anyone, then him.

Because Steve couldn't be dead, he was way to stubborn for that.

Five.

By the seventh breath, it was hard for him to stay afloat because the breathing for two makes him tired.

"Breathe, just fucking breathe." Danny yelled out in desperation.

He felt like he was going to lose Steve.

His heart was beating hollowly in chest.

After giving him another breath he was gasping for air, his lungs burned and he was feeling kinda light- headed.

Steve had better start breathing soon.

The more time passes, the more desperate Danny gets as he knows Steve's chances of survival are decreasing. By the tenth breath Danny provides for Steve, Danny feels like someone is ripping his heart out and trampling on it.

He felt alone, surrounded by nothing but water.

In his arms was Steve, motionless, and not breathing. His chest was not rising and falling like it should. It was not moving upwards and downwards at all. Danny knew he had to continue.

Danny couldn't let Steve die.

He refused to let him die.

Then, through tears he feels movement, a sudden jerk against his chest.

Danny's heart flipped.

He just that he did not just imagine that.

"Steve?" Danny whispered, quickly he checked if he was actually breathing. A quick check brought confirmation. He did not quite believe it.

Steve was there.

Breathing.

It was strained and wheezy but it was there, no doubt about that.

Relief flooded through his veins.

It was something he could not describe as there were no words for it. He had not lost his brother.

That was everything.

To him.

Maybe, just maybe, everything was _not_ irrevocably lost and the detective isn't about to lose one of the most important persons in his life. Steve dying would destroy him, and it certainly would have a tremendous effect on Grace as well, even on his young son Charlie.

"Steve?" He asked hopefully, wishing and hoping against all hope that the out cold SEAL would answer or show any other reaction of waking.

"You hear me, Steve?" Danny said his name loudly.

Even so, the motionless, unmoving man did not react. It would take a while for him to wake up.

 _Right_?

Frightened, with a trembling hand, Danny reached for the SEAL's neck, searching for the carotid artery. Danny once again put his on his neck to feel for a pulse, only to make sure it was still there.

Pulse was there, faint and thready but it was. Danny discerned the resounding _thump_ _thump_ of Steve's heart.

"Steve, wake up. Please."

Danny adjusted his hold on the collapsed commander while bargaining for Steve to come to, to live.

It was hard to see Steve like this.

He was way off his normal self. No trace of him being his confident, strong, sometimes reckless self.

But that was to be expected.

At first there was no reaction coming from the SEAL.

It would probably be a while before Steve recovers enough from having essentially drowned _after_ having been in a sinking boat _and_ being shot _and_ then having been in an explosion.

For the moment, Danny floated in the sea, Steve's motionless body safely in the rescue grip.

He continued to try and get a response out of Steve.

But for now, without success.

Danny carried on with trying to get Steve to react. Until Steve displays signs of responding to Danny's voice.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"I'm fine." Grace mumbled in reply as she began eating her pancake.

Instead of telling him what was wrong, she started talking about something else, obviously avoiding to talk about was bothering her. When they were finished, Will and Grace went back his room.

They sat down on his bed.

Will could tell something was up with Grace but she stayed silent.

He tried again, pushed her to talk with him. "What's wrong, Grace? Tell me, maybe I can help you." Will questioned, motioning for her to share.

Grace gazed at him for a moment.

Will saw that his girlfriend was scared of something. "Danno and Uncle Steve are out fishing. I can't help but wonder if they are alright." Grace reluctantly told him about fears.

Will had not quite expected that.

"Did they give you a time of when they'll be back?"

Grace shook her head.

"No, they didn't give me a time. But I know that Danno would insist they return if the weather got too bad and too unpredictable." She knew her Danno and she was sure that he would convince Steve to turn around should the weather get too bad.

Steve would most likely agree.

It just would be too much unneccessary risk.

Grace threw a fast glance out the window, Will did as well.

In an instant he saw what she meant.

"Hawaiian weather can change really quickly, just like that. Being outside if the weather is like this, meaning very stormy and rainy, like in the jungle or at sea is dangerous." She explained.

Grace knew that, she'd lived on O'ahu long enough to know that. Grace took a deep, shivery breath.

She hoped Danny and Steve were safe.

But she couldn't be sure.

Will flung a comforting arm around Grace's shoulders.

"I don't know them as well as you do but they're badass. If anyone can survive outside a storm like this, it's them." Will murmured.

Grace gave him a grateful smile.

Will gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"Isn't Commander McGarrett a SEAL?" Grover's son switched topics from one moment to the other. Grace nodded, surprised.

"Yeah, he is. When they first met, Danno used to complain about the crazy stunts he pulled. And there was also Steve's disregard for proper police procedure. He always blamed that on Steve being a SEAL. But eventually Danny and Steve grew closer. Now they're like brothers and to me, Steve's my Uncle Steve." Grace told him.

"So when the Commander is a SEAL, he'll probably be able to deal with these situations."

Grace was unsure, worried.

She vaguely remembered her father saying that her Uncle Steve is some kind of trouble magnet.

"But Uncle Steve's not invincible. And it's dangerous. Also, Uncle Steve always gets into trouble." Grace exclaimed worriedly, concerned.

"That's not good." Will muttered.

"Should I get my dad? He will help us." Will offered.

Grace nodded, she had a bad feeling.

A moment later, Grace and Will entered the kitchen. It was their luck that Lou was there, cooking a meal.

"Dad?" Will addressed his father. "Yes, son? What is it?"

Grace swallowed thickly.

"It's about Danno and Uncle Steve."

Surprised by Grace's answer, Lou turned around. "What do you mean?" Lou asked. "We think they are in trouble." Will told him. Lou abandoned his cooking to at the two teens standing in front of him.

"How come?" Will looked over to Grace, softly nudged her arm.

"They went fishing. With that storm raging outside, it's dangerous out there. I know Uncle Steve has survival skills but there is something wrong. If they saw there was a storm, they'd have returned to the harbor." Lou sighed.

"Danno would have called me to let me know they are okay." Grace insisted.

This was not good.

He saw that Grace was definitely scared that something might happen to them.

"Let's go." Lou said, while grabbing his car keys. He discontinued his cooking, shut off any used kitchen apparel before turning around.

"We are going to HQ, I want to see if I can locate their boat." Lou had made a decision. He couldn't leave two of his friends in a small boat in the Pacific during a storm.

"Thank you for doing this, Mr. Grover." Grace got out.

Lou ushered them to his car and opened the door to the backseats. "Call me Lou, Grace. You're part of the family now." He added. Not soon after that, they drove off to Five- 0 Headquarters.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Steve tries to focus on Danny but all seems to become blurry and trying that hard to focus is immensely tiring.

He imagined he had heard a voice.

Someone sounding like Danny.

Where was he anyways, Steve wondered, he wasn't aware of what had happened or how he got to wherever he was right now. "Steve ... you hear me?" Someone called his name again.

At least, the voice seemed familiar.

Steve knew that voice.

Tiredly, Steve attempted to make sense of it all, while still not being fully alert and conscious. Steve could only make out parts of what was said.

Some sounded garbled.

"Open your eyes, Steve."

The voice was filled with emotion, that much he could decipher. "You can do it." It continued to murmur soothing words of encouragement.

Talking.

Continued talking. Soothing. Whispering.

To whom?

Then he realized it was him the person was talking to.

Gradually, Steve became more aware of his surroundings, rising toward being completely conscious.

Could he open his eyes?

His eye lids felt so heavy.

Opening them seemed like a major task to begin with.

Why weren't his eyes open to begin with, Steve ponderrd as he tried opening his eyes, puzzled about why it was so hard to do such a simple thing.

Danny noted Steve's eyes were rapidly moving beneath closed lids. Conceivably, Steve would soon regain consciousness.

Then his eyes gradually opened.

Slowly.

Danny saw it, Steve's eyes opening. He inhaled sharply.

Steve gazed wearily at him, unfocusing, his eyes wildly blinking while trying to focus. Steve let out a feeble groan, squinting to block out the light. He could feel a headache coming his way. His vision wavered in and out.

His somewhat concussed brain told him that that wasn't good.

But that's just a small thing.

He hurt all over.

His lungs felt soggy, it was hard to breathe properly.

"Steve."

Danny said his name in an attempt to get his attention as he was clearly having trouble focusing.

"Wh't happ'nd?" Steve hoarsely asked.

He blinked, to make blurred images disappear from his eyes.

When Steve's vision cleared, the only thing he could see was Danny and water, a lot of it. Why was there so much water surrounding them? "Why ... are we ... in the water?" Steve inquisitively gazed at Danny, not remembering the previous events. Danny scrunched his face when he heard that question.

"We went fishing, remember?" Danny told him, kicking his legs to stay afloat.

At Steve's almost imperceptible nod, Danny continued. "After our boat sank, we swam for a while, ended up on a larger ship." Danny stopped to make sure Steve could follow his explanation.

"Go ... on." Steve took a somewhat strained breath.

Keeping on guard, Danny took off where he left off, while treading water to keep both him and Steve afloat.

"The ship was rigged with explosives."

Danny's eyes darkened in anger.

He remembered how he'd seen his best friend thrown into the air by the blast.

" 'plosives?" Steve mumbled, obviously confused about the circumstances that landed him in his current position. "Why?" Steve added as an afterthought.

"I have no idea." Danny went on.

"But according to the guy on the ship, you know the one that blew us up, we were the target."

"Oh." Steve let out a shocked gasp.

Hadn't he just said Danny and Steve just went out to sea to catch fish?

It did not make sense.

In his frazzled brain he could scarcely and only with effort make sense of things. Exhausted, Steve gave up conjecturing about what happened without much of a fight.

It seemed smarter to only focus attention to the things that really mattered right now...

Leave to Chin and the rest of their team to figure it out.

Worn out by the short coversation, Steve drowsily closed his eyes.

"Hey, don't go to sleep. Steve."

A nudge from Danny made him open them again. "Lem' me sleep." Steve whined in protest, he made a weak motion of wiping away the drops of water running down his face.

Steve's tired eyes met his. " 'm tired." He offered as an explanation.

Danny smiled apologetically.

He felt cold and the detective couldn't begin to imagine how terrible Steve must feel after being shot, in an explosion and then subsequently drowned. "No sleeping just yet, Steve. Stay awake for a little while longer." Danny retorted.

He was sured Steve had a concussion if not more than that.

Danny didn't like that he had to do that to Steve but he had to.

This situation really was unfortunate.

"Fine, I ... try." Steve willed himself to remain conscious.

"I know, Steve. In spite of knowing that, I have to give you a swift once- over." The Jersey detective pointed out, he needed to get a overview of Steve's injuries as best as possible while in the water.

" 's not nec'ss'ry. 'm ..." Steve protested wearily.

"Yeah, it is." Danny replied, in no way backing down from this. "Just let me do this, I need to know what injuries you have." Steve let out a resigned sigh.

A wave rolled over them.

Cold.

Wet. Cold. Cold.

Although it is Hawaii where they have relatively warm water temperatures. But the water temp is still below the core temperature of the body.

So becoming hypothermic is a risk.

It is definitely an existing risk that is becoming more and more pronounced the longer Steve and Danny are out here, out in the elements.

Without means of protection.

Churning water.

"Wave ... coming."

Steve noticed the wave first, giving out a fast warning.

The wave was only a few yards away from their current position. After breathing in, Steve held his breath as did Danny who was trying to keep them above the surface.

For a moment, Danny questioned how long they could prevail in this harsh, unfriendly environment for.

Waves of varying size and strength that are washing over them.

Force- like winds not letting up.

The _choppy_ , unpredictable ocean.

Not to forget the looming threat of hypothermia.

Sprays of water fell over them, once again reminding them of their precarious and sensitive situation.

Steve seemed to be able to cope surprisingly well.

Steve had taken a breath just before the wave had rolled over them.

Danny was in awe that despite Steve being not at his best today the SEAL was still able to hold his breath. But then again, he probably trained for it. Danny figured that he is alert enough for his distinct instincts to kick in.

Steve's got some remarkable survival instincts that's for sure.

Danny gripped onto Steve.

He felt his thoughts wandering while automatically treading water.

" 'anno." A voice ripped him from his thoughts. He saw Steve turning his head to look at him. "You 'kay?" He tiredly questioned, having trouble keeping his eyes open. Danny only nodded.

"Steve." He repeated his name.

"You are awake. That's good, buddy."

" 'm awake 'ver since that wave, Danno. You k'nna spaced out." Steve replied.

"Oh." Danny was surprised.

"Now, your injuries." Danny said, already preppes for a strong countering reply from Steve. "No need, Danny." Steve half- heartedly protested. However, maybe assessing his current status wasn't such a bad idea... To be honest, he felt like crap but hey, he was alive!

That could have been different.

Could have ended way, way worse.

As soon as the sea was relatively calm, Danny's retort to the SEAL's protest was not allowing further protests.

"You are no place or shape to argue me on this. Believe me, it is neccessary. Conserve your energy. It will be over in a second. Now lie still and let me do my thing." Danny was simultaneously beginning to systemically examine Steve's numerous injuries as he finished another famous Danny Williams rant.

In the ocean, it was hard hard to do a primary survey, especially since they had no flotation the injured person could hold onto while the other person focuses on assessing injuries.

Steve regarded him a grouchy look as much it was possible.

"Don't fight me on this, Rambo."

Danny's eyes conveyed the message loud and clear for Steve to read. Steve gave in, it appears he's too worn out to protest. Danny started with his thorax, intending to working his way down.

Steve let out a suppressed moan when he felt Danny's hand pressing down on the left side of his rib cage.

Instantaneously, Steve flinched.

Danny halted, lips pressed together tightly in concern.

The detective could feel the ribs move beneath his hands, he was fairly certain Steve had a couple rib fractures.

Instantly taking his hand of the area of the thorax he had been examining.

"Ah." Steve made a pained grimace.

"What hurts, Steve?"

Alerted by the sudden expression of pain, Danny feared he might have done more damage to the ribs.

"Jus' ... ribs ... broken." He rasped out.

Steve's breaths came out in short, noisy bursts. His chest was moving up and down fast, that only put increased strain on his injured ribs.

Steve was fairly certain that he had numerous broken or maybe, if he was lucky, only cracked ribs.

"You breathing fine?"

Danny's question ripped Steve from his thoughts.

Steve answered with a short nod.

It was fine. It hurt, it was strenuous and tiring but it does not feel like a punctured lung or similar medical issues.

Nonetheless, there _is_ the risk of one of his fractured ribs piercing his lungs.

Steve knew _that_ from experience.

"That's ... good." Danny was worried nonetheless. But at least Steve was breathing. "Let me know if you feel any pain at all." Danny insisted, he still had a tight grip on him.

Danny carefully continued, he went on to examine the abdomen where the bullet wound was located. Soon, he found out that the it was not a through- and- through. "No exit wound, bullet's still in there." Danny said aloud, sighing.

"Could ... h've told ya t'at." Steve replied tiredly. The bullet was still floating around inside Steve's abdomen, most likely doing all sorts of damage.

" 'm fine, D'nno, d'n't worry." Steve slurred, eyes only half open.

Disoriented.

"You are anything but, Steve. Tell me, how are you really? And don't you dare lie to me." After what seemed a long time, Steve was able to focus on Danny.

" 'urt all 'ver. Bu' I will ... be ... fine." Steve said with a bit more honesty.

He winced soon after saying this, as if to underline what had been said. " 'urts like shit." Steve added.

"Glad you told me, babe. Just don't die on me, Steve. You're super SEAL." Danny silently added, don't make me tell my kids their favourite uncle isn't coming back."

"Im' ma try, Danno. But I can't promise." Steve weakly retorted, his voice laced with pain which he tried to hide.

"Don't die." Danny said anew.

Steve didn't reply.

"We are gonna get out of this alive."

Danny and Steve floated in the water.

Steve was securely in Danny's arms.

"Danno." Steve mumbled. "Yeah, what is it?" Danny questioned, voice deeply laced with great concern.

"Hurts, ahh, shit." Steve regretted the sudden movement he had made. Now a new wave of fierce and unrelenting pain courses through him.

Occasionally he kicked his legs so that would stay above surface.

"I know, buddy, I wish I could make it better. Get you medical help because hell, you need it. But the situation right now us exceptionally crappy. We stranded in the damn ocean. We can't swim to the shore because we are too far out. Add in the fact that you are severely injured and we have a big problem on our hands, Steve." Danny ranted to get his mind clear and some things of his chest. Steve semi attentively listened.

"Danno. S'op talking. Spare 'nergy." Steve advised, his breaths came out laboured.

Danny stopped instantly.

Instead he turned his attention to Steve.

"Focus 'n floating, not ranting." He added, exhausted by those few words. "Okay, you are right. Less ranting, more planning, got it." Danny said to himself.

On Steve's face, hints of a smile cpuld be seen. But it was somewhat pained.

Danny thought about how to get him and Steve out if this situation. They were running out of options and out of time. They had nothing, no life raft.

But Danny would try and figure it out.

For now it was floating.

Resting.

Conserving energy.

The Jersey detective turned on his back, his hands and arms securely wrapped around Steve.

He carefully watched Steve's pained face expression as he continually treaded water. The water temperature had become significantly colder.

At least it felt that way, Danny decided as he unvoluntarily shivered.

Steve hadn't noticed Danny shivering.

He was in his own world, dealing and compartmentalizing the pain.

The detective hadn't missed the glimpses of pain painted on Steve's face every few seconds which only increased his worries about Steve who obviously was not doing so well.

Water splashed over them.

Which was causing Steve to start coughing as he was totally unprepared for the water to plash into his face, that had to do with his decreased state of consciousness.

"You are safe, Steve. I've got you." Danny said in a calming voice.

Steve took a few hurried breaths, sucking the air in as if he wasn't getting enough. It took awhile to expel the swallowed sea water.

His eyes watered.

The sea water burned in his eyes.

It was something that was now noticing even more extensively than before.

Before, he had barely taken note of it.

Steve was kinda scared after having such trouble with simple tasks like breathing. The sea water felt very cold on his skin and he felt dizzy, from what he did not know. He felt his muscles unvoluntarily contract resulting in shivering.

Gritting his teeth together, Steve could feel his ribs move uncomfortably, moving in way they should not move at all.

Steve started to feel a bit of dizziness overcoming him very suddenly.

In an attempt to make it go away, he pressed his eyes shut and seconds later, he opened them again.

But the feeling hadn't diseappeared.

Instead, he felt like it worsened.

Steve decided it was the wave that just pushed him to the edge. Before the wave crashed into them and he hadn't been prepared for it, the situation had felt like it was manageable. Sure it sucked but still manageable.

Now, not so much.

But Steve couldn't risk passing out.

He can't do that to Danny again, since Danny already had to help him stay above water when he was decidedly unsconscious and not able to stay above water by himself.

"Dizzy." Steve breathed out, eye half open.

Instantly, Danny's entire focus was on Steve. Danny could see Steve had a hard time staying conscious due to the increasing dizziness.

His eyes slightly closed.

In response, Danny tapped his finger on the injured man's cheek while trying to keep him awake, saying: "Hey, stay awake, Steve."

But the detective could barely get a response out of Steve.

Danny kicked his legs a few times to stay afloat, then resuming to trying to rouse the semi conscious SEAL in his arms.

The only reaction coming from Steve was a low groan.

Nevertheless, the SEAL could not prevent that he pased out a short time after, he just couldn't anymore. Steve felt his vision tunnel out, and suddenly all went black. Steve fainted.

Danny instantly took note of that.

Steve?" He asked.

Danny hoped Steve would respond to his prodding.

He needed Steve to be alive and alert.

"Come on, open your baby blues for me, Steve." He coaxed gently.

Steve blinked a few time, before tiredly opening his eye lids a little bit. Danny clutched him close to his chest as the commander slightly roused.

He gazed around.

The sea was way too choppy for Danny's comfort.

Meanwhile, the winds were picking up as well, making the ocean an even more dangerous place to be.

Danny refocused his attention on his partner.

Then he was once again assessing level of consciousness. Steve was nowhere near being fully conscious and aware of his surroundings.

"Babe, you hear me, Steve?"

Danny asked, voice loud trying to get a response out of Steve, while treading water to keep both him and Steve afloat. "Up and at 'em, Steve." Danny continued but to no avail.

He hoped to see get a satisfying response or any type of movement that could suggest that his best friend and brother was fighting his way back to consciousness.

Water rained down on them.

It was relentless.

Unforgiving and harsh.

A wave splashed into his and Steve's face, Danny gasped for air as soon as the receding water let him breathe in while assuring that Steve's head stays above the water.

Danny tried to resume his floating position.

It had helped him.

"Come on, Steve, don't leave me hanging, you are missing all the fun." Danny said, hoping to get a reaction out of him. The rescue hold was making it a little difficult to see if the SEAL was any closer on his way of coming to.

They were bobbing up and down because of the unrelenting waves coming at him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

Danny looked around, he was searching for anything that might help them stay afloat, anything buoyant.

Like a piece if drifting metal from the ship.

They could hold onto it, which was an incentive to keep searching. It was getting more and more harder to tread water, not to mention keeping the injured SEAL afloat.

Danny once again wished for a rescue raft to magically appear on the ocean's surface, equipped with an emergency beacon, emergency food rations but nevertheless food and water, flares.

Maybe even a radio or a first aid kit so that he could treat Steve, since his wounds were concerning to Danny. Having such things would be definitely helpful and appreciated. Needed. Nonetheless, this was just a far away dream. Danny and Steve had no raft that would serve as a safe zone so that they wouldn't have to fight for their life treading water and continuting to try to float on the surface. No life vests, no flotation device, no beacon.

Nothing.

They were on their own. "What'cha doing?" Steve gave him a sorta confused look.

Danny was astonished that Steve was conscious again, when considering their situation. He thought Steve would be out for a while. But apparently, Steve had been fighting his way to consciousness.

Danny gazed at him.

Steve looked even worse up close.

Eyes laden with pain, breaths where coming in short, noisy gasps. Danny got increasingly more worried about his partner. Then he remembered that Steve had asked a question. "I am searching for floaty things that may help us stay afloat because if I'm honest I'm getting tired." Treading water, Danny responded.

"See any'ing?" Steve questioned, his brows furrowed as he tried to catch a glimpse of the surrounding area. But there was just water, a lot of water. Too much of it. And it wasn't calm water. Danny frowned, his forehead crinkled as he concentrated on locating any floating wreck pieces, large enough to support their weight.

The Jersey detective was aware that they needed some sort of flotation device if they wanted to survive much longer. Danny could only hope they'd be rescued at some point.

Next time, he'd insist on coming prepared with emergency rafts.

Then they won't need to swim to stupid ships that are meant to be blown up. With them on it. Just face it, Danny, you and Steve really have the worst luck, Danny thought to himself. This sucks. A wave splashed over them again, water got into their faces. Danny held his breath, Steve tried to as well but was not successful with it as Danny was which not a surprise considered the physical state he was in.

Not long after the wave had disappeared, Steve started coughing, hacking out water.

"Breathe, Steve." Danny carefully supports him by holding him up.

Exhausted by this coughing fit, Steve leaned back sleepily. "Stay awake, you big lug." Danny nudged him softly, he needed his best friend and brother to be conscious. The only reply he got was groan. Fearful, Danny shook his shoulder to get some sort of reaction out of Steve. In response Steve groaned again but his eyes stayed closed. "Oh no, you are not doing this on me." Danny exclaimed, growing even more tired. His legs felt like jelly, treading water was hard but if he wanted to survive he had to do it to stay above surface.

But now he had another problem and it was not his tiredness or that his muscles were starting to hurt. They did but not too badly.

It was Steve's diminishing level of consciousness.

"Steven McGarrett. You stay with me. Come on, buddy, you gotta stay conscious." Danny told him loudly. Steve looked at him bleary- eyed.

"That's it, buddy. You're doing great."

A small smile was on his face, but Danny wasn't sure if it was only to reassure Steve. He knew he and Steve had to get out of the ocean. Nothing was good about this. Nobody even knew where they were. Which means they don't know where to look for them.

"Flotation, Danny." Steve swallowed before attempting to focus on Danny.

"If y' can't fin' an'thin' use pants."

Danny threw him a glance that Steve promptly reciprocated with a determined nod of head.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

During the ride to Headquarters Grace was eerily quiet. It was obvious that Danny's daughter was extremely worried that her Danno and Uncle Steve might be in serious trouble. Rain was splashing down on the car. Will gazed at her but didn't say anything. He was sure that she didn't want to talk, at least not until she knew that Danny and Steve were safely home.

But as of now, they were definitely not safely at home, as they were unaccounted for.

Lou maneuvered the car through the now somewhat slippery roads. It was continuing to rain which was cause for concern. If the weather is bad here, how bad would it be at open seas?!

That was question no one dared to ask.

Because the answer was not likely to be of positive news.

"We're here." Lou simply said as he stopped the car, and sure enough the car was parked a few meters away from HQ. Lou opened the door, after looking at Will who seemed to get the message.

Lou's son softly nudged Grace's arm, causing the girl to look up.

"We're at the palace."

Grace nodded, letting out a shaky breath.

Unsure of what to do, Will waited. "Let's go." He continued, holding out his hand, offering it to her. Grace gave him a small smile before grabbing his hand and letting him guide her.

 _Thanks for being here, Will_ , she thought to herself.

She still held out a small teeny, tiny bit of hope that her father and Steve were alright and on their way to the nearest harbour but somehow she didn't think that would happen. When the three of them reached the offices of Five- 0, Lou told them to wait as he had to get calls out to Chin and Kono so that they could come over to help with bringing them home. "I have to call Chin and Kono, wait here." Lou said as he took out his phone.

Grace soon found herself standing in Danny's office.

With a sigh she let herself fall into her father's chair, hoping they'd soon begin trying locate them.

For now, it had simply been waiting, and more waiting. She was getting tired of waiting. The longer they're out there the more dangerous it gets for Danny and Steve.

She was worried.

And that was putting it lightly.

Danno and her Uncle Steve are in danger and they needed to help them before things get out of hand.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

When Kono received the dreaded call she was home with Adam. The caller ID said Lou. "Hey, Lou." She said. "You need to get to HQ right away. There is a situation." "What kind of situation." Kono questioned, frowning, instantly alerted by the news. "Grace thinks Steve and Danny are out there." Lou told her quickly as time was of the essence. "Out where exactly, Lou?" Kono demanded, phone pressed to her ear.

Lou answered with a sigh. "The ocean, Kono. They were out fishing when the storm hit and neither of them are answering their phones. Grace is worried something might have happened and if I am being honest, I'm beginning to think so as well."

Kono's eyes widenend in fear.

This does not sound good.

If they are out in the ocean during a storm ... it is gonna be nasty for them.

"I'll be there in fifteen, Lou. Chin ..." Kono said, sounding stressed.

"Is coming to pick you up." Lou replied.

He sounded pretty stressed as well. Adam noticed the change in her immediately and looked at her curiously. Something was up. As soon as Kono hung up the phone she turned to Adam, she told him what's going on.

"I hope you find them, Kono." Adam said, in response Kono sighed deeply as her thoughts went back to Danny and Steve, she was desperately hoping that they were alright and on their way to O'ahu. But the officer was also aware of the fact it was very likely that their team mates and friends were indeed in deep shit/ trouble.

Outside, a car honked loudly.

Kono glanced up, then at Adam. "That's gotta be Chin, Adam. Love you, bye." She gave him a quick kiss before hurrying out the door. "Good luck." Adam wished her. "Thanks, Adam." WIth that the closed behind her and she hurried to Chin's car. Chin drove off as soon as his cousin was in the car.

"Can you go faster?" Kono questioned, impatient.

"I'm going as fast as I can without using sirens." Chin replied.

"Then use the damn sirens if it will get us there faster." Kono gave back. "You know I can't do that, Kono." Chin Ho replied.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Suddenly, shortly after Steve's suggestion of using pants filled with air as flotation device, Danny's gaze fell onto a large wreck piece floating in the nearby waters, a piece of what seemed to be a part of the ship wall. It didn't seem so far away. But it was far away, considering that Danny had to tow Steve, there was no way that he was letting Steve swim in his conditon. "Steve?" Danny said. "Huh?" Steve's response was not that eloquent but it was there. "I found something, it might work." Danny exclaimed, tightening his grip around Steve while continuing the gruelling work of treading water.

"Th't's good, Danno, we need t' get over to th' floaty piece." Steve tells him with a smile.

A pain- filled gasp escaped his mouth before he could stop it, instantly alerting Danny who searched for any signs of distress. His brows creased into a frown as he saw that Steve's complexion had developed into an even more pale color, with his lips bordering on being blue. Out of instinct, Danny reached for Steve's arm, to help him. The detective was aware that Steve needed help and he was getting it. They would make it out of here alive.

Danny promised himself and Steve that.

They had family in their corner, people who loved them and depended on them. "You are okay, buddy. I got ya." Danny muttered. Although Steve would never admit it he was grateful for his friend and brother for making sure he would stay afloat. Water and cold were their common enemies. Steve closed his eyes shortly as another wave of sharp pain ripped through his abdomen.

Damn, he'd almost been successful about forgetting about the gunshot wound he had received from that scumbag on the ship.

Wildly, Danny glanced around to try and find McGarrett.

A huge, unexpected wave had separated them.

"Damn it." Danny hissed, voice tinged with sudden onslaught of panic. This could not be happening. He swam a circle, to go look for Steve. But there was nothing except endless blue as far as he human eye could see. Damn it. Bad. Really bad on the scale of things that are really, definitely bad. Danny squinted, he could feel his body shiver slightly.

He had been in the water for a long time now.

Water sprayed over him as he swam into the direction he thought he would find his friend.

Steve gasped wetly for air but gives no verbal response as his last remaining physical reserves declining. He didn't even attempt to actively tread water, instead he tried to float while laying on his back. For a moment, he pondered how long they'd been out here, trying to survive. Steve's body suddenly went lower in the water, with that his head was no longer above the surface. Steve recognized what was happening.

His body had enough, was failing him.

Calm and collected, Steve managed to use his arms and legs to propel him back to the surface.

As soon as he broke the surface, a small wave crashed into him just as he was about to inhale, the wave coming out of nowhere had taken him totally by surprise.

Due to being winded by the strenuous exertion, Steve was only barely able to do what he would normally do.

As the relatively small wave passed, Steve shot to the surface and instantly starting to cough, water sluiced from his mouth, strained coughing continued for some time before it slowly dissipates.

Steve's breathing eventually got less labored as he fought to stay afloat.

When the wave disappeared, the water somewhat calmed down, Steve resumed his floating position. Trying to rest and stay conscious. Because if he passed out now it'd be over. However, while that method had helped him stay above surface for the past hour, in all honesty he had no idea how long Danny and he had been floating in the Pacific ocean yet it seems to have stopped being of use.

Steve couldn't keep himself afloat, no matter how hard he struggled and fought to do so.

Worsening blurriness clouded his vision, but there wasn't much too see anyway except endless miles and miles of sea. His cold, shivering hands shot out in uncoordinated movements to reach for something, anything near him. Steve blinked to make the blurry scenery disappear and see more clearly. Not that there was much to see except water. Damn concussion, he thought, where the flying fuck was Danny? He was supposed to be right beside him, floating.

"Danny?" He called out, an uncoordinated flurry of leg kicks made it possible for him to stay above the surface.

"I'm here, calm down. I'm right here." Out of nowhere, Danny's body was next to his. The detective had come to Steve's aid as he was to how witnessed much the SEAL struggled with floating on the water. Steve's eyes fluttered as he fought to keep his eyes opened. His eyes are barely open.

Steve's head rolled back against Danny's shoulder.

Steve turned onto his back to float, momentarily giving up on swimming. His head hurt, Danny's voice drowned out as Steve concentrated on breathing and staying afloat.

But it was getting harder to manage with his injuries.

His head throbbed, he was sure the headache he had right now was due to the explosion, which was with all certainly the reason as to why he felt so crappy right now. He watched the waves around him and Danno. Danny was treading water, trying to get some kind of rest, if it could be called that at all, probably not.

"Steve?" Danny called his name.

"You still with me?" He asked, the detective was worried that Steve would succumb his devastating injuries from the blast and pass out without him noticing.

" 'm 'wake, no need t' yell." Steve grumbed, his breathing quickened.

"Need 'est." He continued mumble.

What was really annoying according to him was the continuous shivering. He just couldn't stop. He felt so damn cold.

Steve could even feel his teeth chattering, it was cold, really freaking cold.

His lungs were seizing up as well.

He focused on breathing, calling for help was out of question as he did not have the strength to do so. Out of a sudden, he was under water. That is until to strong arms pulled him out of the water.

Steve felt dizzy.

At this point Danny's face appeared only fuzzily in his line of vision.

"You're okay, I got you, babe. Just focus on breathing for now."

Danny's voice was calm and collected. Steve relaxed as he felt Danny next to him, he knew he was safe. " 'm fine, Danno." To underline just how fine he was he grunted painfully, Danny rolled his eyes.

"You're far from fine, Steven."

"Answer me, Steve?! Damn it, should have known this would happen."

Steve knew he needed the rest, Danny did too. He had been towing the passed out SEAL for who knows how long after Steve was unconscious after the explosion.

Steve lifted his head from the water.

He wanted to get a glimpse of Danny who was probably near him somewhere and he got a glance at him.

He seemed tired and worried.

Steve tried to ignore the nagging, hurting feeling in his abdominal area, and the intensifying pain that flared through he ribs when he breathed deeply or normally.

His breathing was very fast and shallow because of that.

And even after regaining consciousness, Steve hadn't been near at the physical capacity he normally would have been. Under these extenuating circumstances, Danny had been forced to take over for both Steve and himself.

"You're bleeding again."

Danny's face expressed fear and concern. The lead lac that had stopped bleeding a while ago had started seeping blood into the ocean.

" 's not so bad, Danny." Steve mumbled, a shiver running through his body.

With growing alarm, Danny put a hand on Steve's arm.

He could feel the coldness and clamminess. "We are in the ocean, Steven. Bleeding here means sharks coming to eat us." Danny expressed his fears, mulling over the not so distinct possibility of sharks attacking them, leaving out the comment about not wanting to end up on Shark Week.

With Steve bleeding more or less profusely, it was not a completely irrational prospect.

Steve turned his unfocused, weary gaze at him, with great effort, the SEAL made an attempt to enounce his thoughts.

"We are no' go' na end u' tha' "

Steve breathed heavily, it took some time before he was able to resume talking. He knew of Danny's fears of ending up on Shark Week.

"Save your breath, babe. Just focus on breathing and floating." Danny hushed him concerned, observing the tired, fatigued man in front of him who was right now struggling to inhale and exhale.

Under the watchful eyes of Danny, Steve's erratic breathing slowly returned to a more normal pattern. "You are going to be fine, Steve. We will get home." Danny comforted him, saying this to provide some sense of sanity in the midst of hopelessness.

Steve's tired and leaden eyes focused on Danny's face.

Danny's throat got dry as he noticed the raw emotion in them, Steve's eyes displayed many different emotions in a way only Danny could decipher.

Vulnerability.

Danno, they sluggishly seemed to say, I hope you are right.

Danny treaded water, risking a quick cautious glance toward the sky as he held onto Steve's arm to make sure he stays above the water. Out of nowhere he saw something floating in the water. Danny pinched his nose, trying to catch a glimpse at the floating object. Maybe it would be of help to them. At this point anything that would help them stay afloat was welcome. Then he saw it. Internally he was cheering, at least now they had bought themselves some time.

Although they had to get out of the water rather sooner than later.

It was becoming a challenge to stay above the water. Within a few strong kicks Danny had propelled both him and Steve towards the floating wreckage. Steve gave him a faint hint of a smile, "W' made it, D'nno."

Steve reached for the large metal piece floating in the ocean.

"For now, Steve."

With a sinking feeling, Danny realized that if nobody notices they'd die out here, despite having found some flotation device to leverage. But their chances, now that they could cling to that floating, relatively large metal piece; had marginally increased.

Steve swallowed thickly, he was well aware that the blonde detective was right.

"S' one nee' t' fin' us ssoon, Dddanny." Steve verbalized his thoughts.

Yeah, Steve wa right about that.

Rescue.

Their only hope of survival.

It had to happen soon or there would be nothing left to find.

They would just disappear, fade away into the deep, dark, blue ocean and never be heard off again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

It was becoming a challenge to stay above the water.

Within a few strong kicks Danny had propelled both him and Steve towards the floating wreckage. Steve gave him a faint hint of a smile, "W' made it, D'nno."

Steve reached for the large metal piece floating in the ocean.

"For now, Steve."

With a sinking feeling, Danny realized that if nobody notices they'd die out here, despite having found some flotation device to leverage. But their chances, now that they could cling to that floating, relatively large metal piece; had marginally increased.

Steve swallowed thickly, he was well aware that the blonde detective was right.

"S' one nee' t' fin' us ssoon, Dddanny." Steve verbalized his thoughts.

Yeah, Steve was right about that.

He gasped for breath, winded from the exertion as the urge to breathe got more pressing.

Rescue. Their only hope of survival. It had to happen soon or there would be nothing left to find. Steve laid scooped awkwardly against Danno's chest as he let out a soft wince as his ribs painfully moved. The floating wreck piece provided some security, but it wasn't much. In fact, Danny had a lot do to try and not let go of it. Also, Steve's limp, water-logged body had grown heavier with each passing second.

Danny inhaled, closing eyes for just second before opening again.

Even if he was tired, he can't sleep.

His and Steve's lives depended on him being awake and able to swim. Nevertheless, Danny was aware of their decreasing odds. Temperatures plummeted, causing the water to become colder as well. The sudden drop in temperature had an impact on Danny and Steve who were exposed to the elements, no means of shelter.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Iolani Palace, Honolulu**_

Commander Joe White entered the palace, heading toward Five- 0 headquarters.

Maybe he'd find Steve there.

He had tried calling him a couple of times but so far, Joe hadn't reached him. They were scheduled to go hunting this weekend. Wild boar. Something different to the shooting range they went to the last two times. Joe dialled Steve's number yet another time, not knowing he wouldn't be able to reach him because the phone was floating somewhere in the damn Pacific.

"Joe?" Chin asked surprised as he saw Steve's former commanding officer standing there, obviously waiting for them.

Joe directly cut to business.

"It's Steve."

Instantly, at the mention of Steve's name, Chin froze and looked at him in concern.

"We know, Joe, that something's up with Steve and Danny." Chin wanted to know. Joe cleared his throat before he continued speaking. "We were supposed to meet this afternoon." He looked at both Chin and Kono, who had seen who her cousin was talking to and sensed that it must be about a matter that requires urgent attention.

"Have you tried calling him?" Kono interjected promptly.

Joe nodded.

"Of course I have tried calling him, multiple times to be exact. He's not answering, his phone goes directly to voice mail. I am kind of worried." "It's not like him not to answer his phone. He'd always answer..." Kono reflected. "Unless the boss is in trouble." She then concluded. Lou frowned. That did not sound good. They needed a plan, to get Steve and Danny back safely. If only they had an idea of where they were, because the ocean is huge.

All the while, Chin had listened attentively and with growing concerns.

"Steve and Danny are out fishing." He interrupted. "You know?" Lou questioned.

"What?"

Three shocked faces stared at him after that statement. "How do you know?" Kono wanted to know. "And do you know where they were going?" She added.

Chin shook his head.

"They did not name a location. But what I do know is they rented a boat at Hale'iwa Marina and then they headed off to open waters." Chin shared useful information with the rest standing around the smart table. "Of course the boss would get into trouble." Kono chuckled joylessly. "And they're out on open waters." Chin added, darkly.

"This is not good." Lou murmured, throwing a concerned glance towards Danny's office.

"Grace?"

Lou nodded, pressing lips together tightly. "She's pretty worried, especially with the bad weather system coming up. Will is with her. So what's the plan on getting our guys back? Because if they're unreachable I would say it's fairly obvious that they're in trouble." Lou seemed worried, and that not just because of Grace and Will.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

Steve and Danny were really in trouble. Steve still wasn't awake. He was bleeding and his breathing was not normal. It was noisy and strained, he was wheezing. Danny had now idea what to do get out of their life- threatening predicament. This was a freaking death trap. "Steve, come on, wake up." Danny tapped onto his his cheek repeatedly.

But for now, there was no reaction coming from Steve. Danny knew their situation was bad and if nobody came looking for them, they'd be as good as dead.

Salt water splashed into their faces as the weather was still not at all good. "Steve, damn it, wake up." Danny repeated, louder than previously and after another few taps on the cheek Danny was able to get a reaction out sleep. He heard a sound coming from Steve. Elated that he had been able to rouse his partner, he asked again if Steve could hear him.

"Can you hear me, Steve?" Danny questioned worriedly.

At first no reaction.

Then there was a sluggish reply coming from Steve. "D'nno?" Steve mumbled. What he said was barely understandable to Danny but what mattered was that Steve had finally regained consciousness.

"Yes, babe, I am here. Just focus on breathing right now. I got you."

Steve's eyes sluggishly focused on where Danny's voice came from. "Ssssure." Steve answered, slowly, confused. "You feeling okay?" Danny asked. Steve grunted in reply, eyes pressed shut as he felt the numbness wear off and the waves of pain take over.

"Guess that is a no."

As the pain got worse, Steve started thrashing causing them both dip below surface. As Danny surfaced again with a a few kicks, towing Steve behind him, he was somewhat surprised by what had happened. He sputtered and coughed for a minute or so before resuming to breathe normally.

Steve's breaths came out in short, noisy gasps.

Very worrisome.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Iolani Palace, Honolulu**_

Commander Joe White and the rest of Five-0 search for Steve and Danny who were missing.

The team realized they had to move quickly and efficiently if they wanted a shot at saving their friends, that the situation was dire and required taking immediate action. Quickly, the decision was made to alert the Coast Guard and ask for their assistance. "We need to call in the Coast Guard." Chin finally said. Kono and Joe nodded in agreement. "I'll make the call to the Coast Guard to get SAR out there to start a rescue mission." Joe White responded immediately.

"We need to hurry." He added.

He was worried about Steve and Danny.

After all that he'd heard he'd be surprised if those two weren't in trouble.

"This is Joe White. We're requesting help." Commander Joe White relayed after having put in the urgent call to the Coast Guard Command Center, stationed in Hawaii while he was heading to his car, the phone pressed against his ear to hear what the person on the other end was saying pertaining the actions taken to search for Danny and Steve.

"Two members of Five- 0, Commander Steve McGarrett and Detective Danny Williams, are lost at sea."

Joe White announced and relayed that information over radio, wanting Search and Rescue to help them search for Steve and Danny. Chin and the others were extremely worried after having heard from Joe that Steve hasn't shown up which is _not at all_ like the commander which is why they were getting increasingly worried.

"The search is already-" Joe stopped short when he heard that.

He found that a search was already under way, that there was already Coast Guard personnel out there, searching for their friends the search grid based around the last known position, the position they had from the outgoing radio call, courtesy of a frantic radio call from a certain Commander. A call for help. Steve made that call. Chin, Kono and Lou were following closely behind. And when looking at the storm that was going on outside, they thought it was best to do start a rescue mission to get their friendsp back safely.

It sure as hell wasn't safe out on the ocean right now.

Today, the ocean was dangerous.

Right now, the ocean was menacing to anyone still out there in the ocean. Steve and Danny were most likely in danger. And there was the storm looming over them, making things even worse. Who knows if Steve and Danny were okay. Chin hopes they are. But there is no way to know for sure. Maybe Steve and Danny injured or their boat sank. Which is indeed possible when looking at that stormy weather out there.

After Joe ended the call he immediately said to the team standing in a circle around him.

"We need to get to Barbers Point right away."

He was referring to the Coast Guard Air Station.

"Got it."

The team simultaneously replied in response, seconds later running to their vehicles.

Joe started his car and was on his way, Chin was following with his car. Kono and Lou came with him.

"Hurry, Chin." Kono pushed.

"I'm going as fast as I can. I know the situation is emergent." Chin replied, sounding stressed which was obvious given the situation they were in.

"Then use the lights." After another ten minutes, he saw with relief that they were close, almost there. The two cars parked and four people got out. "Let's go." Joe said with a determined but serous expression on his face.

They had reached the air station at Barbers Point.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, US Coast Guard Air Station, Barbers Point**_

Joe and the rest of Five- 0 entered the Coast Guard air station.

Someone was waiting for them.

They were in room that was chock- full with monitors that were recording some kind of data or coordinates, most likely the command center. A man sitting in front of a computer monitoring the storm passing by informed them: "Sir, we are observing storm force winds, forty- five to fifty knots, gusting to 60. Swells are at thirty feet and building."

Chin and Kono shared a worried look.

Then there was even worse news than that. "Reported lightning strikes in vicinity of the airfield." A man named Young said, as he had the weather information on his computer screen.

Joe breathed in sharply, out of frustration. He runs a hand a hand over his mouth, he knew Chin, Lou and Kono were standing behind him, all of them equally as nervous and worried about the two men missing. And now _this_ , the damn storm, not letting up. He knew that the helicopters couldn't be used for the search.

Not in this weather anyways.

Chin was staring the huge screen, stunned and shocked, a spiraling satellite image of the Pacific ocean staring back at him, making the storm visible to them.

With that also the danger Steve and Danny were in.

"Last radio contact was fourteen hours ago, just after they left Hale'iwa. We think they are in trouble due to the storm." He continued when two coast guards came through the door.

"Guys, weather's passing and helicopters are ready to go." Another man said, presumably a coast guard said. "We'll also sent out a patrol boat to help search for your people."

"Alright, let's move." Joe ordered.

Soon, all of his were in one helicopter and they started taking off. But the coast guard also sent one with his people which means there are two helicopters out there searching right now. One was going north and the other one was going south. They were in radio contact. Chin was holding a binocular in his hand, he was looking for Steve and Danny's boat. It seemed like it was night. The sky was so dark and cloudy. The helicopter had red warning lights on so that other planes or helicopters would see it. The rotors rotating made a lot of noise. Some people were talking over radio.

But Chin only concentrated on the ocean. Suddenly Danny called out.

"Chin. I see something."

That got Chin's attention immediately.

"I see a ship wreck but there aren't any signs of them."

"What about Steve and Danny? You see them floating in the water?" Chin asked instantly. "No, negative, I don't see them anywhere. We find the missing wreckage of their ship, we find Steve and Danny." Kono answered after he checked that with the help of the binocular. "They are alive, Chin. And we're going to find them. And I think you're right, Danny." Joe White assured him. He seemed relatively calm but internally he was freaking out.

Steve was like the son he never had.

He had promised John McGarrett that he'd look out for Steve. And Joe would do anything to keep that promise. Steve and Danny were not dying today. They were going to be found, that was one thing he was positive about.

Then after an hour, it seemed shorter to Chin anyways, one of the pilots said over radio, relaying that to the base.

"Coast guard 6-578 is returning to base.

At the mention of returning to Barbers Point Chin felt his heart sink.

Steve and Danny are out there.

Lost.

"We can't go back now, we've gotta do one more pass. We haven't found Danny and Steve yet. They are out there somewhere." Chin protested. "It's at least twenty minutes back to base and we've got not enough fuel, I am sorry but we need to return to base now." The man on the other end said.

Chin sighed in despair.

He and Kono shared a glance that held hope and despair in it, hoping that their friends would survive this ordeal.

From his vantage point, Chin could see that the sea was rough.

Chin desperately hoped that McGarrett's military training would help them to stay alive, increasing their chances of survival. But of course, that was in no way a guarantee for their family's survival.

The Hawaiian native was aware if that.

"This is Coast Guard rescue 6-578 inbound, forty miles off the field, returning to base to refuel."

The helo turned, inbound to the landing pad at the airfield at the base.

Chin shifted on his seat, listless. Joe seemed to notice his apprehension about not having found them and returning to Barbers Point with zero workable results, and the ones they had weren't good, just pieces of wreckage floating around in the dark and threatening ocean. Steve and Danny nowhere to be found. That made the Hawaiian feel helpless, he doesn't want to imagine in what a horrible and terrifying position Steve and Danny were in. The elder man leaned toward the younger man. "Chin." The Commander forced him to look and listen.

"We will refuel, then head back out again. It wouldn't help Steve and Danny one bit if we crashed into the ocean due to lack of fuel. Steve wouldn't want that." Joe fell quiet, watching Chin's response to what he told him.

Chin released a sigh, still glancing out the window.

Joe doesn't mention the word 'protocol' with one word, even though it seemed obvious that there was a protocol in place.

Of course the Coast Guard would have protocols for things like this.

Chin pressed his forehead against the cold glass, his thoughts running around in his head. Before he knew it they were landing at the base and the refueling process was started.

"Coz?" Kono's voice was distant, vague.

He swallowed.

Chin turned his head towards his cousin. "Drink something, coz. We will head out again in ten."

Slowly Chin uncapped the bottle pressed into his hands by his caring cousin.

He took a big sip.

Relishing the feeling of the cooled water down his throat.

Momentarily freeing him from the recurring thoughts about Steve and Danny, their teammates that are out there somewhere. That was a scary prospect. Still waiting to be found, for rescue. Minutes later, Joe climbed into the small cabin, and sat down in his seat and buckled himself in, having picked up the latest chatter of news relating to the weather forecast. Two trained Coast Guard medics and rescue swimmers were on board too, they are the ones to perform the rescue.

"Prepare for takeoff." The pilot told them as the rotors started spinning.

The helicopter then lifted off the airfield again, once again resumes searching within the estimated search grid.

Chin resumed his position, the binoculars tightly grasped in his hands.

Kono threw a worried glance at her cousin.

She was worried too, but Chin seemed to take this very hard.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"Hey, Steve." Danny whispered weakly as he kept himself and the very heavy Steve above water.

He heard a faint noise.

It was darkening so he couldn't quite see everything. Also, the waves took all his concentration as he tried to brace himself for when they were going to him them and dunk them under water. It now happened more and more often as the weather worsened.

The detective was glad he had a piece of wreckage he could hold onto.

Steve was now barely conscious.

If he regained consciousness it was only for a few seconds before he lost the fight to stay conscious again. Danny was worried. He knew unless they were rescued, their - _Steve's_ \- chances of coming out of this alive were pretty low.

"Steve." Danny repeated his name, in the hope of rousing the man.

But so far, he had no success.

At all.

"Steve."

His tone got louder, more pressing and concerned.

He slapped Steve's cheek, maybe that would provoke a reaction from his brother. But nothing, there was no reaction to his prodding. Steve simply did not respond to the stimulus. Steve's limbs were limply floating in the water, his head was was supported by Danny's shoulder. Steve's skin was cold to the touch, Danny felt his heart drop in fear, he realized what that meant for the man he considers a brother, his best friend.

 _Hypothermia_.

Hypothermia was now setting in, if hypothermia hasn't already set in. But Danny knew, _this_ right here wasn't good.

"Come on, McGarrett, open your eyes." Danny begged, his voice shaking, his teeth chattering. At least, Danny's body was still trying to produce heat. That was good. As for Steve, the shivering had stopped a while ago.

Which was absolutely, downright bad.


	8. Chapter 8

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Water**

Steve and Danny were in trouble. Steve still wasn't awake.

He was bleeding and his breathing was not normal. It was noisy and strained, he was wheezing. Danny had now idea what to do get out of their life- threatening predicament. This was a freaking death trap. "Steve, come on, wake up." Danny tapped onto his his cheek repeatedly. But for now, there was no reaction coming from Steve. Danny knew their situation was bad and if nobody came looking for them, they'd be as good as dead.

Salt water splashed into their faces as the weather was still not at all good.

"Steve, damn it, wake up." Danny repeated, louder than previously and after another few taps on the cheek Danny was able to get a reaction out sleep. He heard a sound coming from Steve. Elated that he had been able to rouse his partner, he asked again if Steve could hear him.

"Can you hear me, Steve?" Danny questioned worriedly.

At first no reaction. Then there was a sluggish reply coming from Steve. "D'nno?" Steve mumbled. What he said was barely understandable to Danny but what mattered was that Steve had finally regained consciousness.

"Yes, babe, I am here. Just focus on breathing right now. I got you."

Steve's eyes sluggishly focused on where Danny's voice came from. "Ssssure." Steve answered, slowly, confused. "You feeling okay?" Danny asked. Steve grunted in reply, eyes pressed shut as he felt the numbness wear off and the waves of pain take over.

"Guess that is a no."

As the pain got worse, Steve started thrashing causing them both dip below surface. As Danny surfaced again with a a few kicks, towing Steve behind him, he was somewhat surprised by what had happened. He sputtered and coughed for a minute or so before resuming to breathe normally.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"You go up first." Steve insisted although he could barely keep his eyes open.

Let alone, keep floating on his own.

The explosion and getting shot at really did a number on the SEAL. Tiredly, Danny shook his head. "No, you're going up first." Steve closed his eyes and weakly swallowed. His head hurt and he could barely think straight. Steve's breaths came out in short, noisy gasps.

He wasn't even sure why they were in the water in the first place.

His mind was a little foggy on that one.

"D'nno first." Steve exclaimed faintly. What he said was barely audible.

"You're going up first." Danny insisted, putting determination in there. "You're hurt, if I leave you alone here, you'll drown." Danny glanced at Steve's face. There was a bloody gash. He was breathing way too fast and too shallow, barely able to stay responsive.

"But first, let the helo get here. It is weird that were arguing about this when there is no helo in sight. They'll take the weakest up first, don't you think?" Danny replied, treading water. He wondered how long they have been in the water already because he was growing tired. And comfort. He wanted a nice, warm bed, some comfy socks and a football game to watch with Steve next to him, warm and alive and breathing.

In contrary to their current position.

"N ... not ... w ... eak." Steve grumbled.

At times, it seemed hard for him to even draw in a breath at all.

"That's right. You are a badass Navy SEAL but right now you are injured and need medical treatment. We both do."

Steve gazed at Danny in confusion, he had not paid attention to what he was talking about. Momentarily, Steve strained to focus all his attention to Danny. "Never mind." Danny quickly added at Steve's confused face.

A while later, Steve closed his eyes to rest them for second.

Danny interpreted it differently.

He thought he had passed out and promptly nudged him softly. "Steve?"

"Huh?"

"You awake?"

" 'm fine, just resting my eyes."

Danny breathed in quickly, disguising his relief that Steve was indeed awake nit passed out again. "You had me worried for a second there, super SEAL, I thought you had fainted on me."

Steve barely responded to that comment.

The lack of reaponse coming from Steve was very concerning to Danny. Treading water, he decided to do a vitals check since it was obvious that Steve was inevitably deteriorating and at an alarmingly rapid rate at that.

Steve was spent, physically and emotionally. He was on his back, just floating, with his brother and best friend making sure he would stay afloat.

"Danny?" He searched for his buddy's hand.

"I am here." Danny felt Steve's hand clasp weakly onto his own.

"I can't, Danny. Let me go. Sleep." He coughed, it sounded like he was hacking his lungs out. Danny was concerned about the frail state of Steve's lungs and well, the rest of him. The exploding ship had done a real number on him. Danny shook his hand. The SEAL must be delirious or so because Steve does _not_ give up.

"Oh no, you are staying awake, hey. Wakey, wakey, Steve, don't you dare sleep." Danny slapped him on his cheeks to get him to respond. "Wha' " He mumbled, as disoriented as he was.

"Stay awake, Steve, listen to me. You gotta stay awake for me, buddy."

"Missed meet ... Joe ... realize we ... in trouble when ... I don' show ..." Steve said, albeit most of it was to incoherent to understand. "That's good, just keep talking, keep talking." Danny encouraged him just as another wave rolled over them, but it was a smaller one so Danny was able to ride it out.

"When it comes down ... t ... to ... it ... pro ... promise ... me ..."

By the middle of the sentence Steve was gasping for air but continued despite not being able to breathe. "... save ... yourself ... Gr ... Grace ... Charlie ... ne ... need ... f ... father." Danny halted. He could not believe what the man in front of him was saying.

"You are not thinking clearly, Steve. So I will let this slide."

"You stand a better chance of survival if you don't have to think of me." Steve insisted, having regained enough strength to speak without having to pause between the words.

"You gotta be kidding me. I am not leaving you, Steve. Get that through your thick skull. I might not be a Navy SEAL but I am familiar with the concept of leave no man behind. So we both get out of this or neither." Danny ranted while keeping a grip on Steve.

" 's fine. Tired."

Steve's eyes closed as he resumed to his shallow breathing pattern. Steve's respirations were fast and shallow and Steve also appeared to be shocky with the fast bounding and thready pulse.

"Steve, what are we going to do?" He asked, although he knew there was no way the SEAL would answer.

Drops of water were cascading down his face.

Danny was wet.

Wet to the bone, because everything was fucking _wet_. Danny's teeth chattered, the little heat he had been retaining faded slowly into nothing.

Danny hoped his team would hurry with rescuing them due to the fact that their chance of survival was diminishing.

The outlook was rather grim.

Sadly.

And the weather or more the storm is not on their side as well.

At some point, the SEAL passed out again, leaving Danny to face mother nature on his own. "We are never going fishing again. You hear me, Steve?" Danny grumbled as he put his hand to the SEAL's neck, feeling for a pulse.

It was there, much to his relief but it was faint. Too faint for his liking. Steve's pulse was barely detectable.

In spite of their dreadful situation and the ominous danger looming over them Danny wanted nothing more than to be able to help his brother and best friend, yet he had nothing. They were in the water, floating, doing everything possible to not become _man sushi_ as Danny so eloquently put last time they went fishing. Survive.

But that was getting harder and harder.

Danny hated to see the normally so strong, vibrant SEAL struggling so much, with so simple things. Well, things that _should_ be simple but not always are.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"What if we never find them?" Kono questioned, involuntarily shuddering in her seat. She stared down at the sea, flinching when saw a huge wave rolling over a piece of debri as if it were nothing. She was used to big waves, she liked them when she was surfing but this? This was unimaginably scary because it involved her _ohan_ _a_. Danny. Steve.

"Don't lose hope yet." Chin said.

"They will be found." The Coast Guard had been searching for them quite a while now but none of them were ready to call it quits, to call the search off.

"You don't know that, Chin. They could be already dead."

"I trained _him_." A determined voice interrupted.

Joe.

"He can get through this. _They_ can."

Chin and Kono glanced up into the stoic, no- nonsense face of Joe White. The noise of the helo seemed to get louder, drowning everything around them out. There were two rescue swimmers, in full gear, waiting for the people to found. Ready to jump into the choppy sea, accompanied by strong winds. Not strong enough to keep the helicopter on the ground but sure strong.

"They need you to keep it together. Freaking out is not going to be of any help to Steve and Danny." Beneath that calm and stoic mask, Joe was scared shitless for the safety of Danny and Steve. What the others didn't know was that there had been an explosion, right after a Mayday call was made to the Coast Guard.

The caller had identified himself as Steve McGarrett.

Now they were flying over the last known position of the exploded ship. Wreckage floating in the ocean was what remained from the ship. He frowned when he could again make out a large piece of rubble in the water and an unsettling feeling overcame him.

For a second he wondered if they were too late.

That Steve and Danny were in fact dead, their dead bodies floating somewhere in sea. Joe shook his head, how could he even go there? He scolded himself.

"They are still out there, fighting for their lives and we are gonna find them and bring 'em back home."

"Yes, sir."

It seemed fitting.

Chin had not thought that history would repeat itself, that he would find himself on a rescue mission with Steve's former CO once again. Just like when they had to rescue Steve from Wo Fat, that rescue mission took them and a few SEALs from SEAL Team Nine all the way to North Korea after Steve was captured.

"Okay." Kono's voice was steady again.

Kono had calmed down again, regained her senses. She had started to search for them with the help of a binocular. "Good, that's good." Joe nodded as he hoped that he was not lying to them, that Steve and Danny were still alive. Somewhere, in the huge ocean. Determination could be seen in his face, Steve's former commanding officer was sure Steve would be alive, Danny too.

"Now quit whining and start looking. We are gonna bring our boys home."

"Roger that."

As the helo flies over the ocean, Chin was able to make out a large debri field. "Joe, look at this." The man instantly saw what Chin was referring to. In the water, there were the remains of a ship. "This looks bad, think someone could have survived this?"

With a deep sigh, Joe said: "I hope so."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You think they were on this ship?" Kono exclaimed exasperated, in panice. "You think they were on that vessel?"

Joe did not say anything in reply.

"Oh my goodness..." She clasped her hand over her mouth in realization. The realization that Steve and Danny were most likely that if Danny and Steve had been on that ship down there. "There was a distress ca coming from this ship from these exact coordinates."

"A distress call?"

"It was Steve sending out that distress call." Joe finally told them.

In the cockpit, the pilot and co- pilot were flying the chopper. Sometimes they had some trouble holding it steady as the winds were gushing. "Computer's saying the winds are about sixty knots. I will takrle your bear alt off, you are on your own with altitude hold."

"Right side. Debris in water."

Expectantly, the occupants of the helo hovering above water scanned the water for anything other but debris.

The helo slowed down as it flew over the debri field, giving them time to look for survivors. "Request to open cabin door?" One of the rescue swimmers called over to the pilot who promptly responded.

"Roger. Open door." Came the all clear from the pilot.

The helo reported back to base while flying low over the debri field. "We got heavy debri in the water. Comencing cover search." Silently, Chin and Kono stared down at the water. Not quite believing what they saw.

So much rubble and debri.

To think that one could survive that.

Tom quickly unlocked and opened the helicopter's cabin door to get a better look at the water. "I don't see anything but rubble, wait, what's that?" Tom then added out of sudden.

"Give me the binocular." The rescue swimmer demanded.

The rescue swimmer had seen something in the churning water.

A person?

Tom, the rescue swimmer, grabbed the device and scanned the ocean to get a better look at what he was seeing, then he concluded that this must be a person in the water. From the looks of it the person was not alive.

"One person in the water." The rescue swimmer gave back.

"One person?"

"We are searching for two persons."

"We are aware of that, commander. But I don't think this person is alive." Tom gently explained.

"What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, in the cockpit the pilot asked his co- pilot to mark the position. "Mark and note the position."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

The rescue helicopter from the Coast Guard was hovering above them. The side doors opened.

Lights originating from the floodlights of the chopper fell on them and Danny could make out a men making their way to them using a rope to get down.

The _Coast Guard_.

Finally.

Danny let out a sigh of relief.

They were saved. Now they just had to get Steve to Tripler and everything would hopefully be okay. Danny raised his arm and waved to signal their rescuers where they were in the water.

Suddenly, a huge wave swept over them. Danny lost his hold on Steve and partner was cruelly ripped away. For a second, Danny could make out Steve's head, trying to stay above water.

In the next moment, his head was just gone. _Gone_.

Danny couldn't see him anymore.

"STEVE?!" He yelled out in panic. No answer and that only aggravated his panic. He doesn't even see a man swimming toward him, a flotation device in his hand. All Danny could think of was his partner. Currently somewhere in the ocean, location unknown.

"Detective Danny Williams? I'm a Coast Guard rescue swimmer." A voice suddenly yelled out to him, loudly so that he would hear it through the roaring waves. Danny realized the voice was not far away from him. _Help_ was here, for Steve and for him. Danny turned in the direction from where the voice was coming from.

Water splashed into his face.

This day sucked big time. _Big time_. "Help ... help Steve." He got out.

The man nodded. "We are to get both you and your friend to safety." The man, obviously from the Coast Guard, said as he connected the flotation device to Danny assuring he wouldn't sink underwater.

"Hold onto this." He added, pointing toward the device. "It'll keep you afloat.

With trembling fingers, Danny grabbed onto the device.

He shivered violently. "You hurt?"

Attentive eyes were scanning him for visible injuries. "'m okay." Danny mumbled wearily, teeth chattering. "Jus' cold." Danny looked at him, confusion painting his features and for a moment, he wondered what happened. How come he was floating in the ocean with a chopper hovering above them?

He could hear the sound the chopper made as the blades were rotating.

Then, all of a sudden, everything came back to him and his first thought was, where was Steve? Danny couldn't see him anywhere. His panic increased.

"S'eve." He demanded.

"My partner, Steve, where is he? He's a SEAL. Not 'posed to drown."

Worriedly, the man helping him glanced him. It was clear Danny was beyond exhausted, definitely dehydrated from swallowing salt water and possibly hypothermic. "Danny, focus on me. You are okay. Just focus on breathing and floating for now." The rescuer told him.

Danny Williams obeyed.

There was nothing else to do, nothing more he _could_ do in his current state. He shivered again. Danny wanted to get the hell out of that 'cold' water. "My partner, Tom, is out there searching for him. Don't worry, he'll find him. Tom is a great swimmer. If anyone can find him, it's Tom." Not knowing if Steve would be found, the rescue swimmer turned his attention back to Danny.

"Listen to me. We need to get you into the helicopter."

Danny relaxed, knowing that if he did what the man wanted, they'd be faster back to helping Steve who was his main concern.

"Coast Guard 1 to swimmer 1, requesting status update."

"Swimmer 1 to CG 1. Ready for pick- up using the rescue basket." The swimmer is holding his arm up high, signaling that they were ready for pick- up.

"Attention, swimmer 1. Rescue basket is coming down." Someone told him over the radio.

Swimmer 1 refocused on Danny whom he had in a more or less tight grip so that he would not get ripped away by the waves that were coming at Danny and his rescuer in regular intervals, some small, others huge.

"Okay, Danny. They're getting down the rescue basket to get you to the helo." The man helping him told him. Water was once again splashing into his face.

The flotation device helped him to stay above water.

The basket was lowered.

It was swinging around due to the wind and soon, it was hovering closely above water. The rescue swimmer grabbed it and placed it near Danny.

Carefully, he helped Danny into the basket. He tried not to jostle him to much because who knows how long he has been in the water. After Danny was securely in the rescue basket, Alex fastened the straps so that Danny wouldn't fall out.

"Up."

After he was done, he gave the signal to ascend.

Then, he rescue basket began its climb back to the chopper. Danny closed his eyes in fear. He tried not to think about the fact that Steve was still down there, somewhere in the icy, cold water. At least, that is what the water temperature now feels like to him.

Before Danny knew it, the basket was pulled inside the helicopter.

"Danny." A loud voice exclaimed.

"Chin?" Danny whispered weakly, as he gazed dazedly at the Hawaiian native. "I am here, brah." He said, reaching for Danny's hand, pressing it supportively.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"Swimmer 1 to CG 1. Patient en route to you." While he said that, he saw his friend colleague needing assistance.

As soon as rescue swimmer 1 saw that Danny was safely inside the chopper he dove into the churning waves, headed toward his partner who was searching for Steve McGarrett.

"Roger that."

The radio crackled, then went quiet.

Swimmer 1 had stayed and watched as the basket with Danny ascended, the rescue basket was buffeted by the wind, therefore swinging more or less a little.

It was still very windy.

A wave slammed into both Steve and the rescue swimmer having him in the rescue grip. It felt like tons of water pressed down on them, trapping them under water. The rescue swimmer held his breath, his patient was no longer breathing and that was not intentionally. That was because he had water in his lungs. Fluid that prevents him from being able to oxygenate the lungs.

"CG 1 to swimmer 1. You see swimmer 2 somewhere, he might need assistance."

"Copy, CG 1."

Swimmer 1 quickly responded.

The men in the chopper had seen the ten- foot wave drop over the heads over the second swimmer and the patient. Now they were nowhere in sight.

Then the wave that had been slamming them down released the death grip on the two. With quick swim strokes while clutching the man in the rescue grip he ascended and soon broke the surface, inhaling and exhaling quickly.

Alex saw his buddy surface, in his arms the motionless body of the SEAL. He barely took notice if him, instead he gave Steve a quick once over, instantly seeing the visible injuries.

"Swimmer 1 to CG 1. I have eyes on swimmer 2 and the patient." He reported back, relief visible.

A few moments later, after his breathing normalized he checked his patient.

"Swimmer 2 to CG 1, I've got a non- responsive male drowning victim with multiple injuries, requesting immediate evac with basket."

"I assume there are problems with the second person, hence swimmer 1 is on his way to swimmer 2." The pilot noted with furrowing brows as he saw the red figure making his way through the waves with some fast strokes.

Then he informed them. "Swimmer 2 has the patient."

Collective sighs of relief could be heard.

But the danger still wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

Swimmer 1 swam quickly into the direction of his partner. It was hard hard because the weather was was so rough. He knew he would need help as the person that was about to be rescued was severely injured and had most likely drowned on the last few meters.

"We're over here." A voice sounding like Tom called out.

Then Alex saw him.

He was connecting a flotation device to a person that was decidedly injured and unconscious.

"Coming." Swimmer 2 answered, loudly to make sure his buddy heard him in this chaos of wind, rain and high waves.

Rescue swimmer 2 had trouble keeping the man's soggy body above water. He had found him floating in the water, far away from where Danny had been found. The waves had swept him away, and as he was unconscious he had been unable to do pretty much everything. It had taken Tom three dives to finally get a hold of the commander.

"CG 1 is requesting an update on your patient's condition."

Breathing heavily, Tom answered the call coming in on his radio.

"Patient has no pulse. We need to get him up there fast to start CPR."

Kono's eyes went wide with fear.

After Danny heard that radio call coming through, he struggled against Chin and Joe who kept him from going after Steve right out of the helo.

"Son, stop." Joe ordered. "You need to rest. Let them work."

Danny protested but was cut off by a cough erupting in his throat. "Steve. Can't lose him, please." He begged as tears ran down his cheeks. It was utterly obvious that Danny had a hard time coping with all of this.

"Steve."

He whimpered as he shuddered again, despite the blanket they had given him.

"Please, fight."

Danny helplessly sagged against the wall. He was not feeling all that great, and that was not even covering his emotional state. "Danny, look at me." A voice was calling him.

"Huh?" Danny responded, not even attempting to focus properly.

Chin was worried.

Danny was always chatty. Him being this quiet never meant anything good.

"You feeling alright, brah? Be honest."

The detective coughed before starting to answer Chin's question. "I feel like shit. 'm cold." Danny answered earnestly.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

"Hey, Alex, need a hand over here."

Steve was unconscious, not moving and not responding to anything. Tom had the man's head was supported by his shoulder. They needed to get him evacuated fast or this would be for nothing. The rescue swimmer knew his patient's condition was serious, and that any minute spent in here would only worsen the prognosis.

"Sure, I'll get the basket ready."

More or less heavy winds were gusting, which made it colder. Water splashed into their faces every now and then.

"You just take care of him."

Now that they were above water, he had found the time to assess the man's status. Not breathing. Unsconscious. Drowning victim and more or less critically injured.

Tom guided the rescue basket next to Steve. "You have him?" He asked.

"Yeah. We need to get him outta here. He is not going to make it if we don't hurry up." Alex said concerned, he had a tight grip on Steve. Also, they had the help of two flotation devices to keep them above the surface." I know. At least his friend was still conscious when I got to him. He was very worried about his friend."

Both of them thought the same.

He should be worried, when taking his current state into account.

Once again, shocked at how bad the commander looked. Pale face, lips were flat out blue, cyanotic as a result of the lack of oxygen and the hypothermia.

"CG to swimmer 1, come in."

"Swimmer 1 responding. Over."

"CG to swimmer 1. You ready for pick- up?" The pilot asked, while keeping the machine steady. The helo's occupants were holding their breath as they saw Steve, the rescue swimmer had a tight hold on him, refusing to let him go, no matter how hard the waves, mostly ten- foot waves, came at them.

"Swimmer 1 requesting basket pick- up."

Because there was no doubt that the commander suffers from at least moderate, if not suffering from severe hypothermia brought on by being in the ocean too long.


	9. Chapter 9

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

 _ **Day 1, Iolani Palace, Honolulu**_

It had been over an hour after the team including Joe White had left Five-0 headquarters.

The team heading to the Coast Guard Station Barbers Point, launching an operation to rescue her Danno and her Uncle Steve. Nervously she paced around and promptly stopped to glance out of the window. Will had tried to offer comfort and Grace appreciated that, she did. But Grace Williams knew that she would be okay only when she knows that her Danno and her Uncle Steve are found and they will be alright as well.

But Grace is also very aware that the chances of them being found in a good state of health is low if Danny and Steve are in trouble.

She can feel that they are, for some reason she just _knows_.

But maybe, just maybe everything will turn out alright and she won't lose her Danno and her Uncle Steve. "They're gonna find them." Lou's son quietly offered assurance.

Grace lifted her head, glancing at the young boy.

With a sigh she nodded.

She wasn't sure about that. "I hope so, Will. They're-" Grace couldn't suppress the sob rising up in her throat, the panic that she's held in for so long was slowly rising towards the surface.

"They will."

 _I hope so._

 _I can't lose Danno._

 _And Uncle Steve. They have to make it through this._

 _I can't imagine life without Danno._

Danny's daughter could not help but feel more and more nervous and anxious the more time passed without receiving any information on how the search was going.

"Dad?" Will suddenly exclaimed as he saw his father return to headquarters, his shoulders sagging when he took in his father's serious look. Already knowing that it was not likely to be good news.

"Will." Lou called back. Will was fast in walking towards his father.

"Have they found them yet?" Lou's son wanted to know. He needed to know for Grace's sake, please let it be good news. Lou frowned slightly. "Where's Grace?" Lou questioned, a worried frown gracing his face. "She's in her father's office." Through the glass doors, Lou could see the girl standing there rigidly, arms crossed over her chest as she stared out the window. Will pointed into the direction of Danny's office.

"Get ready, we're going to the hospital." Lou told him.

"So you found them." Will stated. Lou nodded in reply. "I gotta tell Danny's daughter now. Her mother will meet us at the hospital." Then Lou crossed the large room, when reaching Danny's office he knocked on the glass doors, softly. With a soft shriek Grace turned around on a whim.

Undisguised panic flooded her face when she saw the serious look on Lou Grover's face. "Have you found them?"

Grace's voice was quiet.

But demanded answers.

With widened, scared eyes she stared at Lou. "They are hurt bad, aren't they?" Her voice grew even quieter and unsteadier as she spoke those words.

Lou had no idea what to tell her.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean**_

When the coast guards got Steve into the chopper via basket rescue, Danny was able to see the full extent of Steve's injuries. It was shocking to say the least. As soon as they had Steve McGarrett onboard the helo, the pilot radioed back to the base, informing them that they had both Danny and Steve and were inbound and headed for Tripler.

"Coast Guard 6-578 to base, we got both Williams and McGarrett on board, as of now we are inbound to TAMC." The pilot spoke into his mic.

The base instantly responded instantaneous, with, "Understood CG 6-578."

"Advise Tripler our estimated time of arrival will be thirty minutes. Stand by for status on both men."

"Roger that, CG 6-578."

Danny involuntarily shuddered as he continued to stare at Steve's unmoving body, not sure if it was due to the increasing coldness or if that feeling was due to what he was seeing.

The detective was watching from his spot as medics performed a quick assessment on Steve; still in the rescue basket that was secure to floor, quickly finding out that he was in big trouble. Quickly, they removed the wet clothing and dried him off as best as they could, careful to avoid any inadvertent jerky movement as this is crucial in these cases. After finishing wrapping Steve in warm blankets to avoid further heat loss. To see Steve in this state was hard for him. But at least they were no longer floating in the freaking ocean. "Start him on warmed oxygen and prep for intubation."

Then, they had him connected to a cardiac monitor that was instantly starting blaring loudly.

Contemporaneously, his pulse oxygen dropped markedly, as the readout from Steve's pulse oxymeter clipped onto his finger said.

This wasn't true, no, it couldn't be.

Steve _had_ to survive.

Without Steve, Danny would have died, trapped in that boat.

Due to Steve's courageous actions, he didn't. So Steve had to survive. For _him_. For Grace and for Charlie. They need their Uncle Steve to teach them all the fun things.

He wouldn't lose Steve like this.

He loved that crazy, badass SEAL and his trigger- happy self.

But right now, Steve was only a shadow of his normal self. He was so pale.

"Detective Williams, you need to give them space to work." Someone advised him, Danny heard them but hasn't fully comprehended what was being said to him. To be frank it was all a blur to him, happening to quickly, like all his surroundings blurred in and out of focus, he felt a hand on his arm. _Chin_ , his befuddled brain told him.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut.

"Let's sit down, Danny."

A hand guided him away from Steve but Danny couldn't bring himself to look away. A paramedic positioned himself next to Steve as his heart had stopped, just given out.

What happened in the last few minutes had stopped his heart, Danny realized, his eyes widening in panic as his mind registered what was happening, completely ignoring that someone needed to look at him as well. Shocked and not fully comprehending what was happening to his best friend he just watched.

Unable to do anything else but watch from where he was.

Having unanimously decided that early intubation and mechanical ventilation was in the best interest of the patient, the paramedic quickly pulled out an adult intubation kit and was tubing him using rapid sequence intubation to minimize risk of aspiration to secure his airway and improve oxygenation; the resuscitation efforts primarily focusing on breathing rather than compressions to prevent cardiac dysrhythmias due to hypoxia from occuring. The patient's head was tilted back, forcing the endotracheal tube in, as well as attaching a bag valve mask to the tube to push air into Steve's lungs between sets of compressions. "Tube's in." The paramedic said, while confirming that the endotracheal tube is indeed in the right place and providing sufficient oxygenation.

Steve was receiving hundred percent oxygen at fifteen liters per minute, aiming for an oxygen saturation of 92- 96%.

A quick glance at the cardiac monitor confirmed that their patient continued to be in asystole, even if Steve was presenting with ventricular fibrillation, defibrillation, pacing and also medications probably wouldn't work with his low core body temperature. The second paramedic instantaneously began with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, not once hesitating. Danny saw them doing the compressions, hard and fast.

To circulate the blood through Steve's body, to keep Steve alive.

Fear continued to grow, threatening to overwhelm him. Steve could not die. Press, press, again and again. Over and over. Danny's head was ringing, he felt dizzy. Fear and all other sorts of emotions sent him into a frenzy. Panicking. _Fear_. Overwhelming fear that Steve might not survive this.

Panic.

Emotions threatening to overtake him.

The harsh reality was almost too difficult to grasp. Paralyzing fear is what he felt. Tears blurred his vision. _Fear is a state of mind, Danny_ , Steve had told him. _Don't let fear get into your head._

But that was not helping him one bit because it was not made for idiot partners who ...

"Just keep going." Danny whispered as he fell to his knees, Chin unable to keep him from collapsing, completely and utterly done with everything. _Keep it fast, keep it going._ That thought circled around his brain righ now as the detective caught glimpses of the medics doing continuous chest compressions on Steve who so far seemed unresponsive.

A 'U' on the AVPU scale.

Not breathing and without a beating heart.

Also, this was not a cold water drowning, this had happened in relatively warm waters.

The paramedics continued with the compressions, they used a bag valve mask to breathe air into his lungs, hoping he'd respond to treatment, focusing on ventilation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However the medical personnel did not start active rewarming, merely they were focused on restarting circulation and establish an airway.

"Damn it, he is really hypothermic, we need to get him to Tripler now."

Danny's muscles were weakened due to huge amount of time they had spent treading water.

 _Keep it going_ , Danny wanted to tell them but he did not seem to find the strength for talking, not with all his surroundings fading in and out focus, twirling around him. Chin's strong grip on his arm prevented him from completely collapsing. _Don't give up. If anyone can survive this, it is Steve. Steve is a fighter, he's a SEAL, they don't make 'em tougher than that._

"Danny, can you hear me?"

Someone, the blonde detective presumed it to be Chin who had been a major help, said to him while trying to get him to move away from Steve who was currently in critical condition, and he was deeply unconscious. "Danny?" The voice repeated, the tone growing more and more concerned by the minute.

Tears blurred his sight.

Seeing Steve lying there, the paramedics currently trying to revive him was just too much for him. Knowing that they were saved, Danny just let go.

He couldn't stay awake any longer. He could feel his eyes close, fluttering shut.

"Danny, Danny."

Someone yelped his name, loudly, but Danny's eyes slowly fell closed and with that, darkness quickly and inevitably overcame him. The Coast Guard helicopter banked right to turn inland, back to the island of O'ahu where Steve and Danny would receive emergency medical care.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

When Danny regained consciousness, he realized he was lying on the hard floor of the helo, Chin and another man next to him who was retaking his vitals, once again assessing pulse oxygenation, blood pressure and heart rate. "He's hypotensive."

"What's that mean?" Chin questioned concerned about Danny's state.

"It means that if we're not able to correct the hypotension with increasing oxygenation, we may have to give IV crystalloids." Chin nodded, taking everything in.

He was strapped onto the stretcher, they had started an IV and they had removed the wet clothing (something he was glad about because the wet clothing had been really cold, he was just glad that he had not been conscious when they removed the wet clothes and wrapped him into warm blankets) and was wrapped in warm blankets and much to his annoyance he also had an oxygen mask on his face.

Danny tried to listen in to their conversation but he was way too tired and exhausted to make sense of anything they said.

Instead he just focused on breathing.

His eyes fluttered and Chin saw the detective was awake. The medics were still working on Steve who had shown inadequate response to the administered treatment.

The medic continued, gently explaining his status to Chin.

"He's also dehydrated but we have to be careful when giving fluids because he's at risk for developing pulmonary edema as a result of this. Also we have to continue to monitor his temperature."

A sudden, weak cough interrupted their talk and both Chin and the medic turned their attention back to Danny who tried to pull off the oxygen mask in an attempt to steady his rapid breaths, interrupted by now persisting coughing. The paramedic instantly kneeled down next to him, definitely concerned about his patient showing worsening respiratory symptoms, and put the stethoscope on his chest to listen to Danny's lung sounds.

Chin worriedly watched as the medic furrowed his brows in blatant concern.

"Take a few deep breaths for me." He instructed Danny.

Danny complied, however taking deep breaths promptly resulted in a coughing fit. Danny's eyes went wide in panic as he tried to catch his breath. When Danny moved his hand slightly he could feel the intravenous line pull at his hand, wrapped in blankets to try and start passive rewarming. Slowly, Danny's eyes adjusted to the dimly lit helicopter cabin.

"Danny?" Someone asked while pressing the detective's hand. Tiredly, Danny identified the voice as Chin's.

" 'm here." He mumbled, while he opened his eyes a little.

"Wh' am I?"

Apparently he was missing a few chunks of time, as he was still out of it. Confusion painted on his pale face, uncertain about what had happened, as to why he was wherever he was. Once again erupting in a cough, Danny tried to catch his breath as he tried to catch a glimpse at Steve. "You're going to be alright, Danny. You are on your way to the hospital." Chin answered hesitantly. At this, Danny tried sitting up but had to lie down as a sudden bout of dizziness intercepted with his intentions. Danny was drifting in and out of consciousness at that point, because he knew it was safe to let go now.

 _We are no longer in the water._

 _I don't need to keep swimming, to keep us above the surface anymore because we are in a chopper, are safe._

Vaguely Danny could make out the voices from around him.

Everything was a blur, a blurry mess.

Someone strapped an oxygen mask was covering his mouth and nose, providing extra oxygen. Danny's eyes fluttered a little when Chin pressed his hand tightly, hoping for a reaction.

"Danny?" He asked loudly.

Chin checked for any signs that might tell him the detective was regaining consciousness.

A low groan escaped from Danny's throat as he clawed his way back to the surface, hectic and alarmed voices greeting him, the wild beeping of a cardiac monitor found its way into his ears. When Danny lifted his head he saw them perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Steve.

 _Just how long have I been unconscious?_

"Chin? Wh' 'm I' " A weak voice whispered, ripping Chin out of his reverie.

At the same time, Chin felt a slight but barely noticeable pressure on his hand. The lieutenant could not believe it.

"Danny?"

Another pained groan was the answer.

"Danny, you up?" He questioned in a gentle, comforting tone, immediately glancing at his friend's face. He saw Danny's eyes open but only slighty. Danny felt his heart racing. He was cold and he felt like crap. What was going on, somewhere in his confused brain he knew that whatever the situation was he was in was not good, if Chin's concerned face was any indication. Danny knew he wouldn't stay awake for long.

"Chin?" Danny weakly replied as he tried to lift his arm.

"You're on the way to the hospital, Danny. You are gonna be just fine."

Truth was, Chin had no idea if Danny and Steve would be alright. They have been out in the open waters for a long time. There are all sorts of issues to consider. "Just try and stay calm, okay?" Tears in Chin's eyes he focused on Danny, who needed him right now. Chin looked over to the rescue basket Steve was strapped into, a medic by his side doing chest compressions, the other breathing for him via the bag valve mask, he also saw the IV bag containing a warmed saline solution connected to Steve's IV access. Dread filled him as he turned back to Danny.

He wished they were at Tripler already.

The helo had already turned around and was long headed straight for the hospital.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

They've been in the air for close to twelve minutes and they still got about to fly twenty minutes to whatever hospital they were brought to then, Steve's oxygen saturation dropped below eighty.

His heart was coming back, they could hear the faint but regular beeping of the cardiac monitor. Steve McGarrett was going back into sinus brady. When Chin heard that, he let out a sigh of relief. Now their boss had a chance. But they needed to get to the hospital fast.

"We got him back." One medic said in relief.

Then he turned around, calling over to the pilot while the other medic was constantly checking his vital functions.

"How many minutes do we have to go until we reach the hospital? He's barely hanging on now. Also, the one is deteriorating as well. Is there any chance we could fast-track this?"

The medic in charge of Steve's care questioned concern for his patient blatant, his eyes were focused on Steve's cardiac monitor to check for any heart rhythm disturbances, but at least they had gotten him back. A medic was continuously monitoring his vital signs. It was as if they expected things to happen. He saw the leads connected to the cardiac monitor, slow, bradycardic blips on the monitor showing he had a rhythm. But Danny's condition was worrisome also. He'd intermittently slipped into unconsciousness and when awake there was the persistent coughing as well as rapid and shallow breath rate. After they had flown for another twenty minutes, they were close to the hospital.

"We're four minutes out." He got the answer over the headphones.

"Get word out to Tripler."

After they got his rhythm back, they have almost reached the hospital's helipad marked with an large 'H', the trauma team pf Tripler Army Medical Center already waiting for them on the helipad, having been alerted by the copilot.

"Get ready for landing." The pilot warned before starting to descend.

A team of doctors waiting for the landing of the helicopter that was bringing in two patients, one of them with serious injuries and hypothermia and the other one with hypothermia as well. "Okay, they're landing. We need to as fast as effective."

"We're going to descent. Please fasten your seat belts." The pilot announced as he prepared for landing.

The outside noise grew louder.

The helicopter landed with rotating propellers on the helipad.

Once the rotors had begun to stop rotating, the first team of doctors and nurses ran quickly toward the Medevac, the second team fast on their heels. "What do we have?" Dr. Kalani asked and glanced at the portable heart monitor which recorded the heartbeat. The first medic jumped out and pulled out the gurney with Steve lying on it.

Chin's eyes hastily tracked the quick, efficient exchange of words between the medical professionals, making for a quick handover.

"Commander Steve McGarrett, suffering from exposure, he's severely hypothermic and we lost his pulse when we got him on the helo. ROSC was ten minutes ago. He's also got a gunshot wound to the abdomen. According to his partner they were in an explosion. On board we commenced cardiopulmonary resus, when we rescued him there was no sign of life." The medic told them in a hurry.

"Okay, you've heard it all people. He's in bad shape so let's move it."

The most experienced doctor has taken over commands.

Steve and Danny were brought in via helicopter as both of them, especially Steve, were classified as being critical. When the chopper landed at the helipad of Tripler Army Medical Center, two teams of medical professionals were ready and waiting for them on the roof, at a safe distance of course. After it landed, the teams came running over to helicopter, each team attending to one patient.

The team treating Steve instantly recognized the danger their patient was in.

"We have got to get him to the ED." Someone yelled.

The cardiac monitor Steve was connected to, suddenly started beeping very loudly which was very disconcerting to all. After all, cardiac arrhythmias were definitely a risk.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Tripler Army Medical Center, Helipad**_

"What do we have?"

The doctor leading one team wanted to know as the second gurney was pushed out, pressing for information on their second patient. The first patient was already on the way to receive the much-needed treatment.

Chin watched the exchange, as the medical professionals rallied around Danny, reassessing his condition.

The second team of doctors and nurses had arrived on the helipad.

"Danny Williams, suffering from hypothermia and dehydration after being lost at sea and in the water for at least six hours." The paramedic aboard the helo reported quickly. "He was conscious initially but then collapsed, has been in and out of consciousness for the duration of the flight, and has also shown respiratory symptoms." The medic quickly relayed import information to the team of doctors.

After a quick and efficient handover had taken place, the team hurriedly took Danny down to the emergency department.

"Let's get him in." The doctor ordered.

Immediately after that, the team began with transferring Danny to their gurney, then rushing him down to the emergency department to commence warming up.

After the hospital staff got him into the nearest trauma room, they quickly began assessing his state. Now they were in a trauma room, trying to get Danny's temperature back up to a normal range. Soon after they reached the trauma bay where initial stabilization of Danny is attempted.

Danny was vaguely conscious, he heard the familiar voices around him, figures hovering over him. "I need to be with him." Chin entered the room, frantic.

 _Chin_.

It took some time but Danny recognized the familiar figure.

"You can't be here." A nurse tried to tell him.

But Chin insisted on staying. He wasn't leaving Danny's side, he'd been through something really horrible. "He needs me to be here." Chin looked at them.

 _That's right._

 _Tell them, Chin. I do need you. Thank you for staying._

"Steve." He tried to get out, his voice barely audible. Chin was there immediately, hovering in his line of vision.

Danny grasped Chin's hand.

"Steve." Danny weakly insisted, eyes open halfway.

Chin saw the increasing panic on Danny's face. He knew the detective wouldn't calm down unless he knew about Steve.

"Danny, Steve's in good hands right now. He's got doctors working on him now." Chin said, wrecking his mind for something that might actually be helpful to Danny in this situation, without knowing if Steve would actually be alright. If he was, it was going to take time and a long hospital stay, that much Chin knew. But there wasn't anything, really. Not until they knew for sure that Steve would be okay. Danny swallowed, still remaining quiet.

"Steve." Danny repeated Steve's name softly, promptly breaking out in another coughing fit that left him breathless, causing his pulse oxygen to drop. His cardiac monitor picked up on that showing a slightly irregular heart rate and fluctuating vital signs.

Immediately, a nurse increased the flow of his oxygen mask.

Danny didn't protest.

"C-c-cold." Danny stuttered, gasping slightly for air, completely exhausted. Blearily, Danny tried to focus on Chin.

Meanwhile, the doctor listened to Danny's lung sounds, finding them to be wet.

"Does your chest hurt?"

Danny responded with a mere nod. Mentally, the doctor ticked off the box labelled 'substernal burning'.

But again, everything seemed to blur in and out of focus.

But at least the blonde detective is still conscious.

Chin was very concerned about Danny whose breaths came out shallow and rapid. The native Hawaiian knew he wasn't the only one concerned about Danny's breathing when he heard one of Danny's doctors order a chest film. "I want an immediate chest film, I don't like his lung sounds. Auscultation reveals fine crackles and wheezing, especially in dependent lung fields. Also, someone place an nasogastric tube for gastric decompression." Only seconds later, an x-ray machine was pushed into the room.

"Probably pulmonary edema." He said to a fellow doctor. When they had the results of the chest films, the physician assigned to Danny's case saw that there was indices that were indeed suggestive of pulmonary edema. "See that over there? It's representing an accumulation of interstitial edema." The doctor pointed at another thing that concerned him. "There is interlobular edema as well." After diagnosing Danny with flash pulmonary edema, they started him on a supportive therapeutic regimen.

Danny's cardiac monitor showed that his hypotension persisted.

"Also, hang IV crystalloids." He added in a calm, collected manner even though there was a sense of urgency.

"Where is his temp at?"

"Temp's at 91 Fahrenheit." A nurse informed the doctor after having taken Danny's temperature. "We need to start active rewarming." Came the prompt response.

After reassessing Danny's vital signs and responsiveness, it was clear that the blonde detective was slowly but surely deteriorating.

Danny's eyes closed again.

"Danny." Chin called out alarmed.

"What's going on?" Chin repeated in growing concern and panic as he was pushed aside, having to let go of Danny's hand, feeling his heart rate fasten in fear as he watched the concern growing among the medical staff as they efficiently and quickly reassessed Danny's breathing and circulation. Chin never really received an answer.

Instead chaos broke out as Danny started to spiral down.

At the same time, the monitor started going off again.

"His sats are dropping."

Seconds later Chin heard, "He's in resp arrest, we need to tube him."

In a fluid motion, Danny's doctor pulled out a bag valve mask to manually ventilate him.

He put the mask over the patient's nose and mouth and every two or three seconds he squeezed air into the man's injured lungs. Danny's eyes were closed, his pallor bad and his lips now had a bluish tint to them due to lack of oxygen. Chin couldn't believe how fast Danny had suddenly deteriorated. He had been conscious, even talking to him.

The head rest of the gurney was lowered so that they can protect Danny's airway.

"We gotta intubate. Stop bagging him. I'm gonna tube him."

After having sedated Danny using etomidate as, the doctor performed rapid sequence induction. In the next second, there was an endotracheal tube protruding from Danny's mouth.

"You have to let us work."

A nurse tried to get Chin to leave the trauma room.

Numbly, the police lieutenant allowed her to lead him out of the trauma room so that the physicians can adequately treat Danny without distractions and interruptions. The doctor connected the ventilation bag to the endotracheal tube, immediately starting to ventilate Danny by continuously pushing oxygen into his lungs every two seconds.

"Tube's in."

Danny's physician informed his colleagues, albeit still concerned, glancing at the cardiac monitor to see if his patient's oxygenation would improve. "I want a repeat chest film and get him up to intensive care." He ordered quickly, still having a close eye on Danny's vital signs in case something changes.

"We'll continue rewarming there."

Quickly Danny was moved to intensive care unit where they would continue rewarming with minimally invasive active rewarming with warmed IV fluids, since truncal external rewarming wasn't enough. They started treatment for non- cardiac pulmonary edema. The treatment was largely supportive, due to the nature of the pulmonary edema. It was noncardiogenic, so their goals were to ensure adequate ventilation and oxygenation.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Tripler Army Medical Center, Emergency Department**_

The doctors and nurses had trouble with stabilizing Steve.

They couldn't get his temperature up. Kono watched the alarming running around of medical personnel. Chin was with Danny, keeping him calm while the doctors started the process of rewarming. But after Danny had lost consciousness and they had to intubate (apparently Danny was showing signs of pulmonary edema) they had forced Chin to leave, which he did, but only with reluctance. Head bowed he walked toward his cousin.

"Chin?" Fear shone in Kono's brown eyes as she urged her cousin to look at her.

"Coz? What's going on with Danny?"

Kono's voice shivered.

"Have you heard anything about Steve?" She then added in a concerned voice. Steve and Danny had been found, yes, but in what condition?

"You can't be here, please go to the waiting room and wait there." A nurse told them.

Another one was barely looking at them as she hurried past them holding warmed saline solutions. There was a flurry of commotion in one of the rooms. Chin and Kono looked at each other, both fearing the worst, imaging worst possible scenarios.

The cousins hoped Steve and Danny were going to be okay.

They readied themselves for a long wait in the waiting room, knowing Steve and Danny it would be hours before they received any news. "We are waiting on news of Commander Steve McGarrett and Detective Danny Williams. They were just brought in via chopper." Chin explained, hoping there would be news on either of them. Hopefully good news. "Wait here, I'll check." Kono and Chin exchanged worried glances. The nurse disappeared into one of the trauma bays and promptly returned, a grim expression on her face after she had talked to one of the doctors treating them.

"It's touch and go with McGarrett. They have trouble rewarming him." She told them. Not telling them that they were thinking about putting him on cardiopulmonary bypass and haemofiltration, start rewarming him with the help of that machine.

Kono stared at the nurse in shock. This was not what she had expected.

Sure, the cousins had wanted news but not those kind of news. "Danny?" She asked, voice breaking slightly. Kono felt Chin's arm on her shoulders, appreciating his comfort.

The nurse shook her head dejectedly.

"We really don't have any updates for you. I am sorry but please wait in the waiting room." The nurse repeated apologetically while looking at the cousins. "I gotta get back to work." Resigned and even more concerned, both Chin and Kono headed towards the waiting room.

Suddenly, Kono questioned in a soft tone: "What are we gonna tell Grace? She's gonna want to know about Danny."

Chin stopped with a sigh, both stopping in the hallway.

"We gotta inform Rachel, Kono. She's Grace's mother. She should know about Danny's condition." Chin paused for a second. "Rachel should decide what to tell Grace."

"Who's gonna call her?"

"I will."

Chin sighed, already pulling out her phone. Kono took a shivering sigh, she watched as Chin slowly dialled Rachel's number Danny had given them for emergencies. This was definitely an emergency. Chin inhaled sharply, not quite sure of what to say, how to explain to Rachel what had happened to Danny. Only seconds later, Rachel was on the other end of the line. "This is Rachel Edwards. Who am I talking to?" She asked, her British accent very noticeable. Chin swallowed thickly, Kono observed his facial expressions worriedly.

"This is Chin Ho Kelly, a friend and colleague of Danny." Chin said.

Instantly, Rachel's tone changed, suddenly a lot more colder and tinged with worry, she questioned frowning, her senses already picking up that something was wrong when someone from Danny's team called her.

"Did something happen to Daniel?"

Chin shot Kono a grateful look when she put a comforting hand on his shoulder, for silent support.

With a sighing inhale, Chin answered Rachel's question.

"Yeah, something happened to Danny. He's at Tripler right now, the doctors are treating him for hypothermia and exposure as well as dehydration." Chin relayed information as calmly as possible. He heard Rachel inhale sharply. "Is Danny going to be alright? Why are you calling instead of his partner?" Rachel wondered, worried for her children, and what Danny's current condition would do to them.

 _Because Steve's even worse off than Danny_ , a penetrant voice in the back Chin's head said, yet, Chin didn't say anything like that. "There's been no update on Danny's condition. The fact is right now we just don't know. No one is able to give us an update on Danny or Steve for that matter." Chin responded.

"I gotta get Grace and then we're coming to the hospital." Rachel responded hastily.

Chin could hear the woman on the other end running around the house, already making preparations to come to the hospital. "What hospital are you at?"

"Tripler."

"Right, you mentioned that. We'll be right there."

Chin suddenly remembered something important. "Rachel, Grace and Will are still at headquarters, I will have a uni bring them over to the hospital." Rachel was less than amused. "Why is my daughter at your headquarters, lieutenant Kelly?" The British woman demanded, slightly irritated by the turn of events.

"She's supposed to be at the Grover residence." She added unnecessary information.

Chin clenched and unclenched his jaw before attempting to answer. "Your daughter was worried about her father and her uncle being out in open waters when they did not return when they should have. Grace came to Lou Grover with her concerns and a rescue op was launched to find Danny and Steve. That's why she's at headquarters. But that's irrelevant right now. Important is that you get here."

"You're right."

After a short pause she questioned: "Grace will be with you when I arrive at the hospital? Does she know?"

"Only that Danny and Steve have been found." Chin told her as he stares a hole in the painting across from him, hanging on the hospital walls.

"We left the rest out."

"I am coming right now." Rachel replied, worry for Grace almost overtaking her, thoughts spinning around her baby girl.

How must she feel, knowing that her Danno and her favourite uncle's life are both in jeopardy. It just seemed so far off. Yet it was not far off, in fact it was the harsh, unimaginable, horrible reality. After that, Rachel ended the phone call. Chin dropped down on one of the plastic chairs in the waiting room, brushing a hand over his face in a distressed motion.

In the meantime, Lou Grover had arrived with Grace and Will in tow.

There were streaks of tears on her cheeks, noticeable for those who looked closer. There were blotchy spots on her skin, presumably from crying when Grover must have told her about Danny and Steve. Kono couldn't imagine how hard this must be for Grace, especially since she was the one that spoke up and pointed them in the right direction, which was ultimately leading to Steve and Danny's rescue via a Coast Guard helicopter.

"Grace." The Hawaiian woman called out, causing Grace to look up.

Dried tears caked her cheeks.

Kono immediately walked over her, worried for Grace's emotional state.

She would take care of Grace.

Danny would want her to and she wanted to be there for the young girl to help her through this.

"Auntie Kono." The girl instantly called out, running over.

"Where's Danno?" She wanted to know, her voice shaking. "Mr. Grover only said that Danno and Uncle Steve have been found. Are they okay?" She questioned, looking at Kono with big, scared eyes. It was clear that Grace desperately wanted to see her father and also her uncle. "I need to see them." She added in a softer tone.

For a second, Kono didn't know what to tell Grace.

Kono did not want to be the one to tell Grace that there were no news on either men's condition.

Other than 'It doesn't look good'.

Thirty minutes later, Rachel had arrived at Tripler Army Medical Center. "Mommy." Grace cried out as soon as she saw her mom running towards the distraught group of people waiting in the waiting room. Rachel set Charlie on the ground. From where she was Kono could see utter confusion painted on the little boy's face as Rachel hugged Grace, both clinging onto each other for dear life. "Grace." Rachel repeated Grace's name over and over, shaken up seeing her daughter like this.

Clinging onto hope that Danno and her Uncle Steve are still out there, _alive_.

That she would get to see them again.

Kono turned her head away, the scene was too heartbreaking to watch. They just have to make it, she silently prayed. For Danny's and Steve's survival. Because right now it does not look so good for either of them, not after what she had witnessed on the Life Flight back to Tripler.

Kono sucked in a deep breath, holding back tears.

Chin seemed to notice that and without words, words weren't needed he reached for her hand and grabbed it.

Kono shot him a grateful glance, thankful to have her cousin by her side.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hello there, guys.**_

 _ **First of all, a thank you to those have read my story, especially to those who have left kind reviews.**_

 _ **Second, a disclaimer. I am not a doctor. If there are any mistakes, I apologize. I did research on this topic using Pubmed and guidelines on drowning as a ressource for information but I am not a medical professional. I tried to be as correct and accurate (without it being too much) as possible. Please keep that in mind when reading ...**_

 _ **Until further ado, here's the next chapter.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**_

 **Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

 _ **Day 1, Tripler Army Medical Center, Waiting Room, 1950 Hours**_

Hours later, the rest of Five-0 and Grace had been waiting for hours, on an update on either Danny and Steve but until now no one had come to update them. Out of a sudden, the door opened, a man in scrubs walking into the room. He seemed tired but professional. A doctor. "I am looking for the family of Detective Daniel Williams?" The physician glanced at the waiting people sitting the chairs, waiting for news on their loved ones.

Steve.

And of course Danny.

If only there was an update, news they wanted to hear.

Not the kind of news you don't want to hear, ever.

Grace was still in her mother's arms, with Rachel trying to provide some sort of comfort. Just trying to deal with what was happening.

"That's us."

Both Kono and Chin got up from their chairs wanting to know how Danny was doing, Grace followed quickly thereafter. Occasionally small sobs escaped her throat.

Overall the wait had been quiet, the time had passed slowly.

"How's my dad?" Grace's voice was quiet, shaky.

She needed to know how her Danno is doing. The doctor threw her a gaze that she couldn't quite decipher but she knew it was unlikely to be good news at this point, especially when Danny's doctor looked at her that way. That glance just screamed bad news causing Grace's heart rate to accelerate, start beating hollowly in his chest.

The team and Grace needed some good news.

"Who is his POA?" The doctor asked, wanting to know who makes medical decisions for the detective if he isn't able to. Chin, Lou, and Kono exchanged worried glances. "That would be Commander McGarrett. But ..." Chin didn't end the sentence, Kono did. "We don't even know if he's still alive, so he can't make any decisions either. It's just us now. Please tell us how Danny is doing." In the end, Kono's voice grew quieter and more shivery.

Grace had grown increasingly more apprehensive and quieter.

She realized then that whatever condition her Danno was in wasn't good. That scared her.

Really scared her.

She didn't want to lose her Danno.

"Please." She said softly. "Is Danno alive?" She couldn't keep the shiver out of her voice.

"Tell me, please," Grace demanded.

Rachel stepped behind her daughter and put a supporting hand her shoulder. She could feel Grace tense up a bit. "Grace," Rachel called her name. Grace turned, her eyes flashing, "I need to know how my dad is, mom." She said quietly but with vehemence, the inner turmoil was out front and center.

Anyone was able to see that.

As soon as the young girl desperate for good news concerning Danny's state laid eyes on the exhausted, weary features of the physician who had entered the waiting area, she has to know how Danny is doing. But it was unlikely to be good news if the physician's face was any indication.

"Detective Williams is alive."

That was the first thing they were told.

Collective sighs of relief could be heard. However, the group realized soon that there was more than that, that it wasn't that simple.

Grace listened to the doctor, hoping against all odds that all would be alright.

The doctor looked at the group with a serious expression.

"Detective Danny Williams is currently in the cardiac intensive care unit. He's been treated for moderate hypothermia, dehydration, and exhaustion. He initially presented with moderate hypothermia due to being in the water for a significant amount of time. When he was admitted, he had a temperature of 91 °F. We have started active external rewarming since he did not really respond to passive and minimally active core rewarming."

Chin frowned when he heard that.

"What's that mean?" The native Hawaiian questioned. The others listened quietly, each on their toes. When Kono looked over at Grace, the girl had noticeably paled and even more frightened than before when the doctor told them about Danny's condition.

The demeanor of Danny's treating physician seemed serious. All of them saw that. "Active external rewarming is the application of heat directly to the skin. It's only effective in the presence of intact circulation that can return peripherally rewarmed blood to the core which is the case here. Danny's temperature is currently at 94 °F. We use a forced- air warming system to try and normalize Danny's core temperature. We are giving him warm IV solutions to combat his hypothermia. We have begun careful rehydration. We have placed him on a ventilator due to pulmonary edema, which was the reason for his respiratory symptoms." The physician started explaining Danny's medical condition.

Shocked gasps were the response to that.

Kono shook her head, not quite understanding how it comes that Danny's condition had deteriorated this much.

"But he was awake and talking in the helo."

Chin reached for her hand, pressing it in silent support.

"Now he's on a ventilator? I don't understand?" She questioned looking over to the doctor in the hope that he would be able to explain it, a bit confused and frustrated.

Shocked silence at first as the surgeon dropped a bombshell on them.

"Sometimes, in cases like this respiratory symptoms appear delayed, sometimes with a delay up to six hours, such a delay in presentation is what happened here. Danny is being cared for in intensive care unit right now until his respiratory symptoms resolve and his temperature returns to normal. He did suffer a respiratory arrest in the emergency department which is why we were forced to intubate. Right now, Danny is dependant on a mechanical ventilator to help him breathe. Pulmonary support will be necessary until Danny's pulmonary edema resolves which we are treating right now. There is a possibility that he can be extubated in twenty-four to forty-eight hours as soon as his pulmonary function improves."

Kono inhaled shakily.

Her gaze slid over to Grace. She felt for her, this must be traumatic for her, undoubtedly.

Why was this happening?!

Grace had shrunk in her seat, silent tears were running down her face.

The only thing keeping her grounded was her mom's tight embrace. "I can, however, say that the detective is in stable condition right now." The doctor, dressed in scrubs, paused to let his patient's relatives catch on, giving them time to process what they just heard.

Pulmonary edema?!

He'd seemed relatively okay on the helo, but then again, when Chin thought back, Danny had shown respiratory symptoms back then.

Shock painted on the faces of the remaining team members of Five-0 as they realized what they had just been told.

"Will he be okay?" Kono had to ask.

For Grace's sake, for all their sakes she hoped the doctor treating Danny would confirm Danny would survive.

But she also knew that there were no guarantees for anything, not with Danny currently on a ventilator due to pulmonary edema. And there was still no word on Steve's condition.

"Danny should be alright, barring any complications, if his pulmonary edema resolves and we are able to get his temperature back to normal. But he should be alright with time and rest." The physician told them.

"Can I see him?" Grace questioned, having worked up enough courage to ask.

"I'm sorry, but minors aren't allowed in the intensive care." The doctor responded. "The adults can visit for five minutes."

"Can't you make an exception?"

Grace's voice shook as she asked, she had to see Danno. But apparently, she could not visit him due to stupid hospital regulations.

And he wouldn't let her.

"I'm sorry but those are the regulations." The doctor threw Grace an apologetic look but she had enough to do not to start crying right here and now. She needed to see Danny, to know that he's alive, that he hasn't died.

She was angry.

In the world. At everyone.

It was just too unfair to put into words.

Tears glistened in her eyes.

Rachel wrapped her arms around her daughter, trying to comfort her.

"Can you try and find out about Steve McGarrett?" Kono questioned, a dark and concerned look in her eyes as she gazed at the doctor. "They both came in via medevac chopper and there is still no word on Steve. Can you find out about Commander McGarrett?"

A hopeful look was in Kono's eyes.

"I won't promise anything, but I'll try and make a few inquiries."

With that the doctor left, leaving a devastated Grace behind who was now openly crying, not caring if anyone saw her. Those who know and love her won't judge and she knew that. The stress and worry of the last hours now coming now together causing this understandable emotional outburst. Rachel tried her best to comfort her, but Grace was inconsolable.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Tripler Army Medical Center, Operating Room**_

"Let's initiate minimally invasive ECMO." The implanting surgeon said to the assembled team.

One team performed conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation to keep the blood flowing until the doctors can get Steve on extracorporal life support. The other team is in charge of the ECLS implantation and operates independently. However, interaction between these teams is required in the case of defibrillation and short interruptions of the manual chest compression at the time of puncturing the vessels.

There were two teams in the room, all medical personnel working together to get the patient on extracorporal circulation.

Ten minutes ago, the patient arrested again, out of nowhere, which was the result of pulseless electrical activity.

The team of doctors had decided that the best course of action would be to transfer the very sick patient straight to the operating room for placement of an extracorporal membrane oxygenation circuit for rewarming and to make sure the was adequate perfusion as long as there is no perfusing rhythm. The only beeping that that could be heard was the medical monitoring equipment.

The lead surgeon looked at the oxygenation of his patient, sighing.

The perfusonist asked, "Are we doing central ECMO or are we going for the femoral?" The cardiothoracic surgeon looked up from the surgical field before answering.

"We'll use the femoral artery. Central is too invasive. Prepare for veno- arterial ECMO."

Then he turned to his intern he is supposed to teach. "Preparing for ECMO for active rewarming."

"Are you ready?"

"Ok, now we have to connect the cannulas to the tubing." The surgeon announced.

The cannulas were connected to the tubing of the ECMO machine and bypass circulation began. The lead surgeon heaved a sigh.

ECMO was initiated in the operating room with femoro- femoral cannulation performed under sonographic and echocardiographic guidance, extracorporeal life support was initiated using a minimally invasive extracorporeal circulation system. Steve's surgeons decided that a minimally invasive extracorporeal rewarming method via the femoral artery was preferable because then it wouldn't be necessary to perform a sternotomy which would have been necessary when using cardiopulmonary bypass.

"Ready to release clamps." The lead surgeon announced, his eyes were on the cardiac monitor, looking for any changes in the oxygen levels.

"Release clamps."

Then shortly after, the younger surgeon said, slowly releasing the arterial clamp.

"Arterial clamp off."

"Venous clamp off. Pump on." The lead surgeon said, hoping there would be an increase in oxygen saturation, and the rewarming process was started. The machine started whirr. All personnel looked at the monitor. After a seemingly very long minute, the pulse ox went up to 95%. That was good. As the mobile circuit began rewarming the patient at a slower rate to avoid a potential mismatch between oxygen requirements of the warming tissue and oxygen delivery as this may be preferable in this particular case, even though extracorporal membrane oxygenation and cardiopulmonary bypass can rewarm up to eight to ten degrees Celsius per hour.

"Starting to close up." He informed as he threw a glance at the multitude of monitors and devices his patient was connected to, now that he was connected to femoro- femoral cannulation in veno- arterial ECMO. Now that the group of surgeons had dealt with the immediate ramifications of the hypothermia and the persisting bouts of life- threatening arrhythmias as, importantly, extracorporal membrane oxygenation alleviates the need for continuous chest compressions until return of spontaneous circulation during rewarming; the medical team turned their attention to the man's remaining injuries that needed treatment.

But the main concern had been the hypothermia and the resulting cardiac problems.

"Let's page general surgery." The lead surgeon ordered, knowing that his patient had internal injuries that needed to be addressed. The circulating nurse complied, minutes later the general surgeon arrived and was scrubbing up for surgery. They were also aware that the hypothermia has had an impact on coagulation as well as the heparin, reducing the blood's ability to clot even more. "We got the patient's lab reports back. His hematocrit is normal."

"It should be high. The fact that it's normal indicates blood loss."

The surgery to remove the bullet and the subsequent repair of the patient's abdomen took another few hours, all while the patient remained on ECMO.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit**_

After having completed the patient's procedure, he was transferred to the cardiac intensive care unit.

Steve was still on ECMO by the time he was moved to intensive care unit.

There was a dedicated team caring for him after surgery and urgent implantation of extracorporal life support. Upon arrival, an echocardiogram was performed to observe cardiac function and volume loading of the left ventricle to make sure that there are no cardiac abnormalities present. "His temp's at 92 °F which means it has risen a few degrees. We will continue with rewarming using extracorporal membrane oxygenation. Also, we need to watch out for arrhythmias." Dr. Kalani warned his colleagues. But now that Steve's temperature was above thirty degrees Celsius, they could actually use defibrillation. The medical team would do continuous blood gas monitoring as well as continuous transcutaneous oxygen saturation to make sure the extracorporal membrane oxygenation is working properly.

Steve was on a ventilator, using conventional ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure.

"The patient needs repeated endobronchial administration of surfactant administered." A serious face expression was firmly planted on his face. The doctor rechecked the multitude of medical devices, perfusor pumps and the mechanical ventilator before addressing his colleague.

"I'll go update the family now. Page me if there are any changes in his condition."

"I will."

The physician assistant nodded, taking the doctor's place and controlling the cardiac monitor and the extracorporal circuit once more.

"I want a repeat echo in one hour."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Rachel Edwards' Residence, Grace's Room, 2010 Hours**_

Grace lies on her bed, on her side staring against the walls. She could hear her mom rummaging in the kitchen but she could not care less at this moment. Grace's shoulders shook harshly as she let her tears fall. Sobs occasionally erupted from her throat. Her eyes were red from crying. She hides her face in her pillows, tries to hold back her tears but she was not able to.

Why did this happen, to her _Danno_?

To her _Uncle Steve_?

Still, in tears Grace continued to cry softly into her pillow, occasional deep breaths interrupted the breathing pattern. That is how Rachel found her when she came upstairs to inform Grace that dinner was ready. "Grace, sweetie. Dinner is ready." Unsure if how to interact with her saddened and devastated daughter. Life has really thrown them a curveball and now they to deal with repercussions whether they like it or not.

When Grace lifted her head Rachel was shocked to see her eyes lined red, traces if tears on her cheeks. Dried tears caking her face. "You wanna come down?"

No response.

"Try to eat something light?" She suggested. "I am not hungry." Grace's voice shook, lacked strength and hope. "I just wanna see Danno." She added, tears streaming down her face. In an angry motion, Grace wiped them away before turning away from Rachel. She just wanted to be alone. Carefully, Rachel sat down on her daughter's bed, as she runs her hand up and down Grace's back.

"I am here for you, Grace," Rachel whispered, her voice quiet, soothing.

Rachel tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ears. Rachel was at a loss at how to help her and it pained her that she had to watch her child suffer like this. God, she hoped Danny would make it, for the kids' sakes. Rachel sat on the edge of the bed, a hand on her daughter's shoulder, yet she did not say anything. Grace would start to talk when she is ready. And Rachel was right about that. "This isn't fair." Grace ground out, her voice shook with emotion clashing together.

"It isn't." Rachel agreed. "But Danny's strong. He'll make it."

Grace scoffed.

"You heard the doctor, mom. This is ... this is serious. I know that. I am not a little child anymore."

She ignored the tear running down her cheek. "I just want Danno to come home." She added, now vulnerable and unlike the teen girl, she had been before this had happened. "I know, sweetie, I know." Rachel couldn't think of anything to say, words wouldn't make this any better. The only thing that would help is knowing Danny would recover and come home again but right now there were no guarantees about that.

"Mommy." A small voice came from behind them causing Rachel to look up. Charlie stood in the doorway wearing his Superman PJs, confused he stared at his mom and sister. Grace was clearly upset. About what he didn't know. "Charlie." Rachel threw another view over to Grace who continued to stare at the wall. It was obvious that she wanted to be alone.

Rachel got up from the edge of Grace's bed, in slow-moving steps she walked over to her youngest.

Also Danny's son.

Without any words, the British woman picked him up and carried him out of Grace's room.

Seconds after that she heard the door slam closed. Rachel couldn't imagine how hard this must be for Grace. Sighing, Rachel carried Charlie down the stairs and into the kitchen. Trying to resemble some kind of normalcy she asked: "You want a juice?", as she rummaged in the cupboard to find some cups to fill with juice. But Charlie, being Danny's son, picked up on the fact that something was not as it should be.

"Mommy, why is Gracie sad?" The blonde boy wanted to know, his blue, innocent eyes bore into hers.

Rachel swallowed thickly.

This is when she realized that she had to tell Charlie too. She had hoped to shield him from all this but she had lied once before. To Danny. To Charlie and Stanley. Had denied Charlie to get to know his real daddy. She learned her lesson and that she had screwed up massively. She kneeled down to Charlie's height. Rachel drew in a deep breath. "I need you to be strong for me, Charlie." Rachel started. "I need to tell you something." Charlie merely stared at her, unsure of where this would go.

"Danno is hurt, Charlie."

"Hurt?" Charlie's voice sounded genuinely scared.

Rachel nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the situation. In a quiet, calming voice she continued: "Danno's in the hospital so that the doctors can make him feel all better."

Rachel hoped she had made the right decision in telling Charlie. This was the child-friendly version of what happened to Danny, leaving out all the scary details of Danny's current condition. But maybe this was the wrong one. Charlie's eyes widened, he took a few hasty breaths as his brain tried to understand what his mom just told him.

"Is that what made Grace cry?"

Sure enough, the little guy had noticed Grace crying. "Grace is sad because Danno got hurt, yes."

The young boy bit his lip.

"Maybe a hug makes her feel better? We could paint pictures for Danno."

Charlie's suggestion made sense in his seven-year-old head. Rachel smiled softly at her youngest. She was so proud of them. They had grown into amazing human beings. "That's a great idea, Charlie. But we should let Grace have some alone time." Rachel surmised that her daughter wanted some time for herself, to come to terms with what happened to her Danno.

Charlie nodded.

"I'm gonna get my crayons to paint a picture for Danno."

If only it were that simple, Rachel thought to herself.

With that the young boy sprinted out of the kitchen, minutes later returning with paper and crayons.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 2100 Hours**_

The first thing that greeted Chin and Kono upon entering Danny's room in intensive care unit was the monotone whirring of the mechanical ventilator standing next to his bedside and the loud, continuous beeping of the cardiac monitor.

Danny had a tube down his throat to ensure adequate oxygenation.

"He's on a ventilator?" Kono whispered with a shudder in her voice. Chin gazed at her for a moment. "The doctor said he would be, Kono." Her cousin gently reminded her, his eyes focusing on the machine standing in the corner. Chin surmised that it was the forced- air thing that the doctor talked about. That 'Bair Hugger' Temperature Management Unit to regulate Danny's temperature so that it would return to a normal value.

Chin gripped Kono's hand in silent support.

They watched as the ventilator breathed for Danny because he wasn't able to do it on his own at this moment. "The doctors had to put him on a ventilator because his respiratory system was impaired due to pulmonary edema," Chin uttered, relaying the words the doctor had told them to Kono who seemed to be only half listening.

"His hands are so cold, Chin," Kono said in a shivering voice, her voice shaking slightly when she touched Danny's cold, clammy skin, careful of the intravenous access in his hand. Swallowing slightly, Kono sat down next to Danny's bed, the persistent whirring of the mechanical vent and the regular beeps from the cardiac monitor in the background. The regular beeping was at least comforting to some extent as it told them that there was still living inside the unmoving frame on the bed. There were several bags of IV bags suspended over the hospital bed, hanging on the IV pole. There was a steady _drip_ , _drip_ sound coming from the IV bag. The bed was in an upright position. Danny's doctor had told them that he was receiving medication to help treat his pulmonary edema.

"Fight, Danny. Grace needs you." Kono whispered, Danny's slack hand in hers.

Steve _too_.

As do _we_ , Danny.

Her mind was subconsciously remembering Grace's crushed face expression when Danny's doctor told them that she wasn't allowed in the intensive care unit.

"We _all_ do."

Chin quietly paced across the room, their stoic silence only interrupted when a nurse came to check on Danny and the multitude of appliances he was attached to, to make sure everything was working accordingly. Suddenly, the glass doors slipped open and Danny's doctor walked into the room, a clipboard in his hands. Kono watched him closely, for any signs that might suggest that something was going on with their team member and family. After one or two minutes of silence, only the sound of a ballpoint pen scribbling on paper and the sounds from the medical devices could be heard; Kono broke the silence.

"Is he-"

Danny's doctor looked up.

"He's doing as well as he can under these circumstances. He's not better but he's also not worse."

Chin nodded from where he was sitting.

"Any news on Steve?" He questioned, sitting up straighter.

Danny's doctor shot them a serious look before answering the question. Almost instantly Chin and Kono became even more concerned about their friend's condition.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Kono couldn't help but ask, instinctively squeezing Danny's hand a little tighter.

"I did some inquiries about your friend. He's in good hands." He looked at them, quietly Kono willed him to continue, she wanted to know what was going on with Steve. "However, he's in surgery right now. That's all I can tell you for now." Kono deflated internally. She had hoped he would have had a bit more information on Steve's condition. The doctor rechecked Danny's vital signs and the ventilator settings before once again turning to the cousins.

"I'd have to ask you to step out for a moment."

"Why?"

Kono's voice rose, instinctively.

"It's nothing serious, I can assure you. But for now, visiting hours are restricted." The doctor was fairly insistent on that matter. Feeling somewhat disappointed at having to leave Danny again, Chin and Kono turned to leave, however reluctantly. Outside Danny's cubicle in intensive care, the cousins once again headed to the waiting room to continue waiting for a much-needed update on Steve's condition, who had yet to come out of surgery.

Come out _alive_... A little optimism surely would not hurt, would it?

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 1, Tripler Army Medical Center, Waiting Room, 2130 Hours**_

As more and more time passed, Chin, normally very patient, seemed to grow more and more impatient as there was still no news on Steve. After Danny's doctor had told them that they had to leave the cousins had gone down to the waiting room, and true to the promise Danny's doctor made he showed up a little while later to give them an update on Steve's condition.

"You know something about Steve?" Kono asked with hope in her voice.

She couldn't help the shiver in her voice, however, she was disappointed when there wasn't much that he could tell them. "I'm sure the surgeon will be down shortly to talk to you about Steve's condition. However, I am able to tell you that he's still alive and my colleagues are working on him. He's in good hands." Overall, the update was a bit ambiguous, a bit hazy on the details of the situation which led Kono and Chin to believe that the outlook for their commander, their friend, wasn't that good.

"At least we know Steve is still alive," Chin muttered to himself.

But the question each member had being, but for how long?

"Thanks."

The doctor nodded quietly, pressing his lips together before hurrying back towards intensive care to check on his patients, one of them being Danny, their friend, and teammate.

Chin stood there, lost in thoughts.

Kono dropped down on a vacant chair, hiding her face in her hands as she took a couple shivery breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.

"I can't believe this." She finally murmured, looking up, silent tears running down her face.

Where's Grace?" She suddenly wanted to know.

"Rachel took her and Charlie home," Chin responded, his eyes fixated on the wall as he drew in a deep breath.

"She seemed so ..."

Shaking her head in desperation, Kono choked up again when she remembered Grace's facial expression after Danny's doctor had updated them. "Rachel asked me to call her when there's news on either man's condition." Chin added, a somber expression on his face, "This is becoming unbearable." He then muttered as he gets up and starts pacing around, hands in his pockets. Nervousness and blatant worry were radiating off of him.

"They have to make it!"

Chin nodded.

For a while, it seemed like an eternity no one said anything. "Where's Lou? He was here before."

"He had to bring Will home. He'll be back."

Chin leaned forward, Kono nodded almost imperceptive.

Almost on cue, Grover rushed into the waiting room. "I am back." He got out, his breaths coming out quickly. "Are there any news?" He wanted to know. As he looked into Kono and Chin's faces, he knew almost instantly that there was no news of any sort. "All we know is that Steve's still alive and they're working on him. I am guessing that means his condition isn't good." Chin replied with a somber expression, Kono's face expression mirroring his.

"Oh, damn it." Lou cursed loudly.

"Danny and Steve truly can't do anything by halves, can they?"

"Danny?" He asked, great concern visible on his face.

"We were able to see him for a few minutes. He was so pale." It did not even look like Danny, the man who they knew and loved. Kono shook her head, not believing that this was their reality. "What did the doc say?" You asked, feeling the tension rising. "He's got pulmonary edema, they're keeping him on a ventilator for now." Chin retorted.

"Jersey's on a vent?"

Lou could only shake his head at that, clearly not expecting that.

"He'll be alright." Kono insisted stubbornly, trying to convince herself and the others. Trying to stay positive, but it was hard and getting harder with each minute passing.

This day really had turned to hell.

"We don't really know anything about Steve's condition." She bleakly added as she stared ahead, at the wall.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Tripler Army Medical Center, Waiting Room, 0130 Hours**_

Dr. Kalani and his colleague walked to the waiting room to speak to their patient's family members. It was past midnight already when the surgery was completed. As soon as both doctors had entered the waiting room all eyes were on them, longing for good news. "Is this the family of Commander Steve McGarrett?" Dr. Kalani questioned, a neutral face expression covering his face. Instantaneously, Chin and Kono got up from their chairs. Now they would find out.

"That's us," Chin spoke up.

This was going to be an unsettling conversation he needed to have with the commander's family as there was a chance that he might not make it.

Maybe one they should rather have in his office to give them the privacy they deserve. "Let's head to my office." He tried but Kono interrupted him. They had waited long enough and any second longer was a second too long. "How's Steve doing?" Kono chimed in, them all having waited long enough.

"Just tell us!"

Dr. Kalani cleared his throat before responding.

"The commander is alive and situated in our cardiac intensive care unit. Commander McGarrett requires sedation and mechanical ventilation. We have started active core rewarming via extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to get his temperature back to normal." He explained, tried to put it in the simplest terms possible.

Confused silence.

Lou Grover, Chin, and Kono exchanged confused and horrified glances, their worries increasing.

That didn't sound good at all.

"What do you mean?"

Lou stared at the doctor, attempting to comprehend what they've been told.

Chin listened to the doctor, but he couldn't understand a thing of what he said. He gazed over to his cousin and Lou who seemed as lost and confused as he felt. But only Lou had voiced that thought. Both he and Kono were unable to form a thought, much less try to put into words.

Dr. Kalani realized that his patient's relatives couldn't comprehend so much medical talk right now, so he tried to rephrase it, using easier words.

"What I mean is that we have him on extracorporeal circulation until his temperature normalizes and he has got a stable heart rhythm. The machine supports his heart and lungs and slowly rewarms the patient. It is the preferred rewarming method for patients in cardiac arrest. When he came in he arrested again which is why we decided his best chance was extracorporeal membrane oxygenation which would assure adequate oxygenation and blood flow and also alleviate the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation." Steve dependant on a machine? Not only a mechanical ventilator but a machine takes over heart and lung function as well as temperature regulation?

That seemed unimaginable.

But apparently, that was exactly what the doctor told them.

Lou stepped forward, his voice was kinda shaky when he questioned, "So that means you had to put him on a machine in order restore a normal temperature." The doctors both nodded, confirming Lou's question. "And to support his lungs and his heart, both of which are struggling right now."

The shock was visible on all their faces.

It was a lot to take in.

"Doesn't he have a normal heart rate?" Kono wanted to know. "What do you mean he arrested upon arrival? They got him back on the helo." Kono spoke, confused and worried about her boss and friend.

"Unfortunately, your friend still suffers from bouts of ventricular fibrillation which might be related to him having hyperkalemia, common in hypothermic drowning victims. Currently, we are treating the hyperkalemia."

"So, what now?"

Kono broke the disturbing silence.

"Right now, Commander McGarrett is still on extracorporeal life support and will remain so until his temperature reaches a specific core temperature and he has a stable cardiac rhythm and adequate native perfusion and oxygenation." The doctor responded in a calm, collected tone.

"What?" Kono's voice was deathly quiet, anxiety increasing tenfold.

"We will try to wean him off as soon as his condition, which is especially dependant on his pulmonary function, allows it. There's radiologic evidence of pulmonary edema which we are treating with supportive treatment to ensure adequate ventilation and oxygenation. However, there is a chance it will worsen while he's on ECMO. Our team has placed a chest tube to drain air that accumulates in the chest cavity. Chest tube placement was necessary due to pneumothorax caused by rib fractures that punctured his lung. For now, he's still critical." Dr. Kalani explained while throwing a glance at his colleague as a small 'pling' sounded from the pager the other physician was carrying on his waistband.

The other doctor threw a cautious glance at the pager.

The two men communicated with glances. 'I'll go deal with this if it's serious I'll have you paged.'

"Good.'

"I need to go, they're paging me." Dr. Kalani's colleague addressed him and hurrying away, obviously having been paged to someone experiencing a medical emergency.

A frown appeared on Kalani's face but he quickly schooled his features into a more neutral look. "I will let you know when the Commander is stable enough for visitors." He said, answering the question left unsaid. "His liver?" Chin questioned, toneless. "We are aware of his recent liver transplant. The commander's liver seems to be functioning, we'll periodically check his liver enzymes to make sure it is working. We'll also administer his prescribed regimen of immunosuppressants." Dr. Kalani paused as he glanced at the group consisting of his patient's family that obviously cared a lot for him, assuring them that they knew about Steve's liver transplant.

Kono had dropped down into the chair and took a deep breath before refocusing her attention on the doctor.

"But I will keep you updated on the Commander's condition." Dr. Kalani concluded.

"Any questions?"

When he looked at the group there only stunned head shakes. Shocked faces, too shocked to ask questions right now." The only response he got was a nod from Chin, the rest of the Commander's family were too shocked to answer or say anything. Dr. Kalani left the waiting room and walked past the nurses' station, leaving the devastated relatives in his wake, his pager suddenly started beeping. In a hasty motion, the physician grabbed it from his waistband and glanced at the flickering screen. Immediately alarmed he turned around, rushing back to ICU.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Tripler Army Medical Center, Waiting Room, 0140 Hours**_

Kono, Chin, and Lou were left in the waiting room, not knowing what the rest of the night would bring.

"I am staying," Kono said, staring straight ahead, trying to comprehend what she had just heard about Steve's condition.

"Me too." Chin agreed.

"Renée watches the kids, she will understand the gravity of the situation," Lou muttered to himself, having made a decision, the one decision that felt right. It wouldn't feel right to just up and leave while there was someone's life in the balance, someone he knew rather well. Two lives were. "I'll message her, tell her I'm staying." He wouldn't be able to sleep anyways, not with two of his close friends hanging onto life by a mere thread. "Who's gonna tell Joe? Where is he anyway?" Kono wondered, utterly confused by the military man's disappearance.

Chin glanced at her before replying.

"Perhaps Joe already launched an investigation into what happened, and is going after the people who did this to Steve and Danny, coz," Chin suggested, not sure where the former Navy man was, as he was not at the hospital. "And make those bastards pay for all they have done to Danny and Steve," Chin said, his eyes never leaving Kono. They would find whoever was behind it and put them behind bars, where they belonged.

Absentmindedly, Kono merely nodded.

Kono's thoughts reverted to Steve- dependant on a machine? Not only a mechanical ventilator but a machine takes over heart and lung function as well as temperature regulation?

That seemed unimaginable. Unthinkable.

She couldn't even begin to think of how to put it into words.

But apparently, that was exactly what the doctor told them. and Steve.

"That would be my guess. In the morning, I will head to HQ and tell him about Steve. Maybe he will show up before." Chin retorted, sighing with a heavy heart before he hugged Kono, they both desperate for some comfort. He heard her sigh into his shoulder. "I can't believe this is happening." She tightened her hold on Chin, thankful for the comforting hug that they both needed. Shortly before Chin left the waiting room, he turned around.

"Kono?" He called his cousin's name.

A fine frown crossed Kono's face as she glanced up, at Chin.

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to be okay, coz?" Chin couldn't help but feel like it was wrong to leave now.

Kono grimaced slightly. "I-" Kono inhaled sharply.

"I don't know in all honesty."

When I know Steve and Danny will be alright, then maybe but for now? Chin walked back into the waiting room, sat down next to Kono.

"Chin, I am as okay as I can be." Kono paused, wiping away a lone tear threatening to fall.

"I called Adam, he's on his way over. He will be here in a few minutes. I won't be alone."

Chin nodded, relief in his eyes. "Go talk to Joe. He needs to know about Steve." Kono's voice caught in her throat when she said Steve's name. "Now?" Chin hesitated, not wanting to leave his cousin alone. Not after what happened. To underline Kono's words, Adam hastened into the waiting room, he knew instantly that the situation was as bad as it seemed.

"Kono?!"

Adam rushed into the room.

"Adam."

Kono launched herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I am so glad you're here," Kono uttered.

"Of course, there is no way I leave you to deal with this alone. We're in this together." Adam's reply came instantaneously.

Kono let out a forced smile.

Chin looked the other way as he slowly stepped into the hallway and slides down the wall. Out of a sudden, he felt a presence next to him, now they were sitting against the wall, shoulder by shoulder.

Without turning his head he realized that Lou had followed him outside.

Just waiting for the time to pass.

Each team member was settling in for a long, uncomfortable night at the hospital, filled with dread and fear of possible bad news. _Worse_ news than those they had previously received.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Tripler Army Medical Center, Waiting Room, 0550 Hours**_

It was now break of dawn. Small rays of sunshine lit up the waiting room, making it seem a bit friendlier. Chin suppressed a tired yawn. He saw Kono and Adam occupying two chairs in what could only be described as uncomfortable. His cousin, however, seemed to be able to sleep despite the awkward position her body was in.

The clock on the wall told them it was about five or six hours past midnight, and the team was still camped out in the waiting room, not wanting to leave until knowing that Danny and Steve will be alright. Chin suddenly felt the need to move around a bit, stretch his legs. The Hawaiian man was optimistic that they would get to visit Danny today, if only for a few minutes. But that would be something at least. However, they were aware that it won't be a fast, miracle- like recovery. All of them were spent and fatigued, their energy levels depleted, both mentally and physically yet Steve's and Danny's 'ohana refused to leave. They had taken short naps on the uncomfortable chairs.

Ultimately, Chin had tried to get Kono to go home, saying it wouldn't do any good if they all go on like this.

But Kono had been fairly insisting on staying. Now the woman was half asleep, her head on Adam's shoulder. Chin had tried to sleep on several occasions during the night but couldn't. There was so much running through his mind, making it hard for him to relax, let alone sleep. Instead, he continued to stare at the clock, time slowly ticking away.

"Chin."

Lou's deep voice brought him back.

He saw the big guy holding out a cup of hot beverage to him.

"Here, you look like you might need it." A trace of a sad smile covered Chin's face. "Thanks, Lou." Chin appreciated the thoughtful gesture and took a sip. For a long time, both men sat there in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Lou was the one to interrupt the deafening quiet.

"I can't believe we're in this position again." He shook his head.

Chin turned to look at him.

The Hawaiian merely responded with a nod.

At some point during the morning hours, Steve's physician made another appearance, probably for the promised update on Steve's condition. "What is it?" Chin got up in an instant as he sees the doctor approach.

"Did something happen?"

"We're having a bit of trouble getting his recurring cardiac dysrhythmias under control." He doesn't mention the scary details of how close a call it had been, the rhythm disturbances had been the reason he was paged soon after speaking to the commander's family. Steve's doctor glanced at the room, discerning that they seemed plainly shocked, startled facial expressions covering their faces. Chin, Kono, and Lou exchanged confused glances, not quite understanding what he meant by that.

Three sets of frightened eyes stared at him.

"Cardiac dysrhythmias?" Lou muttered under his breath, "What do you mean by that?" The former Chicago man questioned as he furrowed his brows. "Doc, what does that mean?"

We are no, absolutely no condition to understand complex medical issues, he thought.

Lou Grover was pretty sure that his teammates and friends felt the same way about this. "What that means is that because of the elevated levels of potassium in the commander's bloodstream his heart is affected. The elevated levels of potassium cause the cardiac dysrhythmias. We are trying to normalize the commander's potassium levels but it's going slow. For now, all we can do is treat the complications as they arise."

A shocked silence fell over the group.

No positive news except that he was alive, around four in the night, Steve's primary doctor had come out, to inform them about Steve's progress. Or not progress, the persisting arrhythmias due to hyperkalemia. "We've commenced hemolysis treatment to filter out the excess potassium. We're hoping that the cardiac dysrhythmias will stop sometime after completing the treatment." He had told them that they managed to stabilize his condition so far but not so far that the team of physicians were able to perform decannulation from femoro- femoral extracorporeal circulation, basically, the machine is taking over heart and lung function as well as temperature regulation as he is not haemodynamically stable right now.

"So that means what exactly?" Kono wanted to know as she looked at the doctor.

Chin reached for her hand and pressed it, gentle.

The doctor continued in a firm voice, a somber look crossed his features, "The Commander is still on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. He will remain on that machine until his condition allows decannulation."

"But that's not happening in the near future, is it?"

Lou dreaded the answer.

"Is there any way of knowing if Steve-" Her voice broke. "- if he makes it."

A penetrant voice in the back of her head told her, 'This is Steve, he's a fighter, of course, he is gonna make it through this' but a body can only take so much and after all the physical trauma Steve's body had sustained in the last hours there is a possibility that he might not make it through this, no matter how unimaginable it seemed.

Dr. Kalani responded to Kono's question.

"Steve's condition is still listed as critical. If the Commander makes it through the next twenty- four to thirty- six hours, then he's got a chance."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

That was not easy to digest for any of them. Chin plopped down on a plastic chair, burying his hands in his face.

"Damn." The Hawaiian muttered as he attempted to process what he'd just been told.

More bad news.

They should have expected that, probably. But that did not make it hurt any less.

"This position feels oddly familiar." Chin was thinking back to the crash landing on the beach after Steve and Danny's plane had been hit by a hail of bullets, resulting in Danny donating part of his liver to give to Steve. Kono absentmindedly nodded, definitely agreeing with him, both lost in their own worlds, trying to cope with the fate they'd been handed.

Kono sat down as well to lean her head against Chin's shoulder, seeking comfort.

Something they needed in this mess.

Adam Noshimuri had volunteered to go on a coffee run and get coffee and sandwiches for them. He should be back any minute now. Chin glanced up when he saw Kono's husband reenter the waiting room, carrying coffee cups and sandwiches. He handed them out without words. None were necessary.

In the wee hours of the morning, Chin headed out the door, and towards the harbor to tell Joe the news about Steve.


	11. Chapter 11

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

 _ **Day 2, Iolani Palace, Honolulu, 0625 Hours**_

In the meantime, Joe and Jerry had it as their mission to figure out what had happened out there, on the ocean.

How it all gone so terribly wrong, ending in catastrophe.

Also, that investigation kept them from thinking about what might wait for them in the near future.

"Do you have anything?" Joe questioned glancing straight at the Smart Table, focused. "As a matter of fact, I might have." Jerry gazed at him before pulling up the website of a charter company with their headquarters on the North Shore. "This is _Waianae Travel Charters_ , the rental company where Steve and Danny rented theirs." Joe nodded, "We gotta talk to them, now. Find me a name. Someone who can get me a list of their employees and who has access to the boats, who services them, all of it. I want names." Joe added, the concern about Steve constantly hovering in the back of his mind.

Steve's former commanding officer just could not shake the thought that this one might be one that is too much for Steve's body to take, that he might not make it.

After what happened on the helicopter that seems like it is a real possibility.

"You got it."

Jerry instantaneously got to pull all the information he can get on that company, actively typing around on the screen. When he had something, he turned to Joe, "This is the manager, Mitch Harrison. He's the one we need to talk to."

"Address?"

Immediately after finding out where the guy lives, both head out to question him, find out what he knows. The house their guy lived in was at the end of a road, right next to the ocean. They could hear the waves crashing. But Joe had no eyes or ears for that. He headed towards the house, a determined and fearless expression on his face.

A couple of harsh knocks later, the front door opened and a sleepy figure stood there. "What the- it is in the middle of the night."

Joe's eyes furrowed in anger.

"It's the crack of dawn and we need you to come with us. There are a couple of things we need to question you about." The elder man made a meaningful pause as he stared straight into the man's eyes, Mitch instantly recoiled as if bitten by some venomous spider or so. Momentarily he seemed scared, well, he should be. Especially with these two ob a mission that was damn well personal and close to home.

About an hour later, the man sat on a chair in the basement of Five-0 headquarters, chained to the chair, and alone. Out of a sudden, the heavy metal door opened.

The two men who had brought him here entered the interrogation room, both wearing equally determined facial expressions on their faces.

Joe eyed the man, standing there, arms crossed.

At first not saying anything.

"What am I doing here?" Mitch questioned in a shrill tone, growing shriller at the end, the underlying panic more than evident, not that Joe cared about that, "You cannot hold me here, why am I here?"

"Shut up, dimwit and pay attention to this."

Jerry walked into his line of vision, holding a photo into his face.

"To what? There's nothing to see." He retorted, shrugging. "It is a boat, big deal." That's when Joe had enough. It was bad enough that the man he considers a son is currently fighting for his life at Tripler as is his best friend, yet this man is not helpful at all. "Listen to me, Harrison." Joe poked a finger at his chest. "You're gonna tell us what we want to know." An annoyed sigh emanated from his lips. Joe exchanged confused glances with Jerry who also couldn't read the guy they had in custody very well. But both grasped that he was most definitely hiding something, had information that might prove helpful in their investigation. "What do you want to know?" He said after a pause.

"Very close friends of mine rented a boat of yours yesterday morning. Now they are both in the hospital, both critical."

At that, the man glanced up.

"I didn't do anything. Are you sure it was one of my rental boats?"

"Yeah, Commander McGarrett paid you via credit card which is how we have that information. The bank transactions clearly prove that he rented a boat from your company. The thing is, their boat started to take on water awhile after they reached open water. See, McGarrett knows how to operate boats, so it's very likely that it is not operator failure but failure to maintain operability of the bilge pumps, for example. When was the last time you had your boats' bilge pumps checked?"

The silence was answer enough.

The bilge pumps hadn't been checked in a very long time, at least it appears so.

Yet, those pumps are crucial in buying time when the boat is taking on water. A fully functional bilge pump is especially important when sailing offshore, which is what Steve and Danny did. According to the manufacturer there should have been an emergency 'crash' pump on board yet there wasn't. If there had been, Joe was sure Steve would have used it. He would have bet on it. Steve would have tried to get the pump to work with the limited ressources he had available. He had trained that kid, knows what he can do when sets his mind to something. There isnoway that Steve wouldn't have tried to get the bilge pump to function again.

"According to the manufacturer, there should have been an emergency 'crash' pump on board."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Confusion covered the man's face. "It means that there was a crucial part of equipment missing, my friend."

A clueless face met his eyes.

"Huh?"

"One my friends needed when their boat started taking on water." Joe almost yelled at the man, emotionally at his worst as emotions tried to get the better of him.

"Sorry, man, not my fault."

"Not your fault? Whose fault is it, then?"

Joe knelt in front of him, cold eyes staring down at the man who squirmed uncomfortably in his hard seat, a seat surrounded by concrete walls. If glances could kill, the man would have dead already.

"Who has access to the boats?"

"Just my employees." He mumbled terrified.

"I need a list of names."

Joe's voice was harsh and unrelenting, it was making the man squirm.

"Could someone have tampered with those pumps causing the boat to take on water and as a result of that, capsize forcing my friends to swim for survival, with them ending up on an abandoned ship which, which of course is only coincidence, ultimately explodes. Someone did that to my friends, intending to kill them. They're not dead but close. So I want answers. Who has access to the vessels? Is there anyone in your company that would want to do something like this, Harrison?" Joe demanded, his voice getting louder and more boisterous by the time he ended that sentence.

Taking a deep sigh, the man chained to the chair responded.

"First let me say that the boat your friends rented was brand-new. It's only four months old, one of our newest boats. It was, anyway. You are saying it is gone now, ain't that right?"

"We don't care about the stupid boat, get it? This is about not one but two attempted murders. The man who rented that boat, who is a heavily decorated sailor and his best friend are both in critical condition as a direct result of what happened. We want who did this."

"But my boat-"

"Shut. Up. About. The. Boat."

Joe White's tone was absolutely deadly.

Jerry felt shudders run through him as he watched the elder man interrogate the suspect, sure, he'd seen Steve do this on numerous occasions but this, this seemed different.

Like Joe's life depends on it. "Why, because of your friends?"

"If I were you, I'd tread extremely carefully right now. The ice you're walking on is rather thin at this point. He is a Navy SEAL." Jerry pointed at Joe who stood there, arms crossed. There was no doubt that he'd get physical if that's what was needed to get what he wants, even more so with Steve's life on the line.

Someone he considers a son.

"Fine."

The man shrugged, carelessly.

"Can't help you then, my bad. Boat's brand-new. There's this new kid I hired. Has been in trouble with the law before, he might have had something to do with it. But other than that, I cannot think of anyone who would do something like this." Joe turned around, facing the wall. Feeling emotions washing over him he hurriedly fled outside, having to leave the concrete box. As soon as he was outside on the hallway, he punched the wall, hard. Joe's fist hit the solid surface, and the pain was instant. Not that Joe cared about the pain. All he cared about was-

"Commander?"

Jerry suddenly stood behind him, lingering. "You alright?"

Pressing his lips together, Joe responded with a mere nod, not wanting to display any signs of vulnerability. It just wasn't who he is. "I have the name of the kid," Jerry told him.

"Let's get back to work then."

There were so many open questions.

Questions left unanswered. Why Steve's and Danny's boat had sunk, what piece of equipment had malfunctioned causing the boat to take on water and the trouble that followed rather promptly. Maybe the bilge pumps had failed, causing the boat to take on water. Only how come seeing how the rental company claims that the boat is brand-new. If what had happened was planned, premeditated.

If someone had manipulated the pump, so that Danny and Steve would find themselves miles offshore when realising something is wrong, with no place to seek refuge from the worsening weather conditions and their faulty boat?!

Suddenly, a sound of a ringing phone cut through the deafening silence. Joe looked at the display, temporarily leaving Jerry standing near the computer table. "That's for me." Joe White said with neutral facial expression, and he was walking away into Steve's office to take the call, obviously someone who, hopefully, could help them figure out what had happened to Steve and Danny.

Only minutes later, the former Navy commander returned, his expression unreadable.

"This is stupid," Jerry said with a sigh.

"Without Danny's or Steve's testimony we have nothing to go on."

Joe, however, shook his head.

"I would have to contradict that." Jerry turned towards him, looking at him with a surprised look on his face.

"What do you mean by that?" Jerry wanted to know, that confused him. "Let's go, they found their rented boat near the coast and towed it back to the harbor." Joe White moved to the exit, motioning for Jerry to follow him. Hastily, Jerry Ortega rushed after him. "How'd they find that boat?" Jerry shook his head when he had picked up the pace.

"I am fairly sure that it sank."

"It did," Joe responded with patience.

He kinda liked the man.

"But the Coast Guard continued searching for that boat as it may yield important information as to how and why all this happened."

"You mean the s- word?" Joe merely nodded at that.

 _Sabotage_.

Then he looked at his watch with a frown.

"What's wrong? You worried about-"

Jerry noticed the worry and uneasiness radiating from the former Navy commander.

"Steve's like the son I never had, I trained him and the last thing about his condition was that he's-"

He didn't add that no one had updated him if they even had received an update themselves.I promised John McGarrett I would look out for Steve. Now he's fighting for his life at Tripler.

That single thing is running through his head constantly, on a loop.

About twenty minutes and a surprising amount of traffic later, both men arrived at the harbor. When they arrived at the harbor Chin was there, waiting for them. The look on the lieutenant's face already told them that it was bad news.

Joe would never show it but at this momnt he felt his heart drop as he feared the worst possible outcome.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Ala Wai Harbor, Honolulu, O'ahu, 0644 Hours**_

Chin stopped the car's engines.

Both hands were still on the wheel as he tried to regain some sort of composure before going to talk to Joe White about Steve's frail condition. Chin could make out Jerry and Joe White a few meters away from the slip, talking to a man in Coast Guard uniform. Chin took a profound breath before exiting the car. In long strides, he headed over to where Joe and Jerry stood to tell them the reality they were faced with. Joe spotted the Hawaiian first, promptly he began rushing to meet him.

"Chin?" Joe sounded concerned, there was no doubt about that.

The former Navy commander questioned as he walked towards Chin, fast in closing the distance between them, beneath the tough surface the commander cared very much about the younger man. "Tell me, how is Steve doing?" Chin could the fear and anguish in the older man's eyes and hated that he was about to give them the lowdown on Steve's condition.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Jerry asked, sharing a glance with Chin.

Chin grimaced and avoided looking at Joe's and Jerry's faces, mostly he fears Joe's reaction seeing as Steve's and Joe's relationship goes way back, since his early days in the Navy and even before that seeing as John McGarrett and Joe White had been friends.

Emitting a soft sigh, Chin explained Steve's condition to the two men. "It's not good." In fact, yes, it's _bad_. "Steve's in intensive care unit and is relying on a ventilator. They repaired the internal injuries. Steve's doctors had him on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to bring his temperature back to normal, something they managed but his doctors were unable to decannulate because there are intermittent arrhythmic episodes which they're trying to get under control now, which is the reason that they're keeping him on, what was it," Chin then continued to repeat Dr. Kalani's words, "- on veno-arterial ECMO." Chin lets his glance slide over the scene, a police car with intermittent lights pulling up before glancing at Joe, as to gauge his reaction to very upsetting news.

"But you're saying Steve's alive?" Joe White questioned, a frown on his face.

Chin nodded his head.

"He is." Chin Ho Kelly confirmed.

"But he's not doing well at all." A fast yet tormented look rushed over the older man's face as he digested the update but within the next second, it had been replaced by a certain look. Stoicism seemed to have masked the former Navy commander's real and honest emotions.

"What about Detective Williams?"

Joe suddenly remembered the feisty blonde detective Steve was so smitten with.

"Danny's in intensive care as well but he's doing better than Steve." Chin retorted turning around. "He's got pulmonary edema." A little while later, Chin strolled back to the car, he felt Jerry and Joe's glances in his back, Chin got into his car and drove onto the connecting road, thoughts about Danny and Steve circling around in his brain.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 0900 Hours**_

"Can we see Steve?"

Kono hoped they would allow her and Chin to see their boss but most of all, friend and be with him in this time of need. Dr. Kalani had just updated them on what had happened, with the cardiac dysrhythmias that Steve continues to suffer from.

Dr. Kalani merely nodded.

"Follow me."

Kono and Chin didn't need to be asked twice. In a steady pace they followed Steve's primary physician to Steve's room.

He led them toward Steve's glassed-in room in cardiac intensive care unit. The doctor stopped in front of the glass doors separating Steve's room from the rest of the cardiac intensive care unit. "You have to remember that Commander McGarrett is dependant on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation right now. The veno-arterial ECMO provides both respiratory and hemodynamic support, meaning it supports both heart and lung function." Steve's primary physician said in a neutral voice, informing them about the technology that's keeping Steve alive.

"Don't touch the circuit."

It was crucial that they remember that. It was the thing keeping Steve alive.

"We won't." Chin said in response, Kono merely nodded. "Can we see him now?" Kono questioned, still not knowing what would await them.

For a second, there was a pause.

Dr. Kalani nodded, then opened the glass doors before turning to Chin and Kono and asking them to wait while he checked on his patient. Kono tried to catch a glimpse of Steve through the glass doors but Dr. Kalani apparently preferred privacy over prying eyes and had drawn the curtain so that they wouldn't see anything. Kono heaved a sigh and resumed pacing. Chin seemed a bit more zen, albeit that was just on the outside, inside he was a mess, ever since all this started. After a few minutes of waiting and nervous pacing along the grey hospital linoleum, Dr. Kalani returned, having finished examining Steve and checking on the circuit and all its complex components, if it's functioning properly. "You can go in now. I will be right here, in case you have any questions pertaining to the Commander's condition." He told them with an honest expression.

Both cousins were shocked to see Steve attached to a machine circulating and oxygenating his blood.

What awaited the cousins in Steve's cubicle in the cardiac intensive care unit is unlike anything they had seen before. Kono's eyes had widened when she first sighted the circuit and the cannulae, the backup battery, pressure monitoring, the ventilation-gas as well as the gas blender, the tubes, the membrane oxygenator which is the device responsible for the gas exchange and removes carbon dioxide from the blood and adds oxygen, and the heat exchanger connected to circuit's tubing.

Then there was a variety of blood flow and pressure monitors, continuous saturation monitors, circuit access sites and a bridge connecting the venous access and arterial infusion limbs of the circuit, multiple infusion and access ports as well as pressure and flow monitors along the way to monitor circuit pressures, things that were just too complicated and difficult to comprehend for the non-medical person. Kono's eyes traveled over the myriad of monitoring devices to the pump currently pumping the blood through the circuit and the patient's, Steve's, body.

Dr. Kalani had been there with them, so that they could ask him anything, any questions they might have concerning the Commander's treatment, as it surely was a lot to take in.

"Chin."

Tears glistened in the young woman's eyes.

Unsure of how to react, or what to do, she merely stood there amidst the beeping, blinking devices, and what stood out most, the ECMO circuit Steve's life depended on right now.

Tubes and lines everywhere, going into Steve's thighs.

"I know."

A stoic expression masked Chin's real feeling.

"This is ..." Kono shook her head. She was scared to come closer, scared she might accidently do something to the circuit. The doctor had warned them about that. Chin merely nodded in response, understanding where his cousin was coming from. This was hard on all of them. What scared him was that they had to talk to Danny about this at some point.

"I can't believe either."

Kono felt Chin stepping next to her, reaching for her hand.

Chin pressed it gently, offering support, as much as was possible in this situation.

"Steve will make it." Chin simply stated causing Kono to look at him. "I know we don't know but I have to believe that."

They were shocked as they caught a closer glimpse of Steve.

The cannulae going into his femoral vessels, the machine was circulating the blood through his body, the oxygenator was responsible for oxygenating the blood. It had been a rather gruesome sight, seeing the normally so agile and healthy man connected to so many tubes and lines, depending on so many machines to stay alive.

Just to stay alive.

"So you're saying you don't have any answers at all? That this is thewait-and-see-part, am I right?" Kono asked as she tried very hard to suppress the building tears.

She stared at the circuit.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing, that this machine was actually keeping Steve alive.

It just seemed so unimaginable.

Dr. Kalani stayed quiet, to let them cope with what was happening right now.

He could feel Kono's hardened gaze resting on him as he responded calmly, trying to evoke a sense of professionality and distance from this because the Commander was not doing good at all and there was a good possibility that this patient wouldn't be able to recover. "That's right. However, the initiation of ECMO provides a good chance that he'll make it. We will reevaluate daily to see if his cardiac and pulmonary function recovered enough for him to be taken off ECMO." Kono breathed in and exhaled a shakily, apparently getting Steve stable enough so that he would not have to be reliant on the circuit would be a formidable challenge. With no guarantees that this was a battle that would be able to win.

"When will that be?"

"We don't know. It depends on the state of his lungs." Steve's physician replied, disrupted by a loud beeping sound.

The sound was shrill and loud, causing Kono to let out a squeal at the sudden disruption. One of the perfusor pumps was tge cause of that noisy beeping. The perfusor pump had 'RRRR' on the screen; probably a device error, considering the pressure alarm symbol on the display could be seen. "He's alright, this is just the perfusor pump. A nurse will be by in a minute to check on the pump and see what is going on. It is very possible the syringe containing the heparin, that is the blood thinner that avoids formation of clots inside the circuit's tubing." Steve's primary physician attempted to appease the Commander's friends who seemed quite troubled by the sudden and unexpected alarm sound.

Dr. Kalani gazed up as one of his colleages, a nurse entered the cubicle, immediately recognized why she was here, checked the perfusor pump for kinks and filter patency.

The perfusor pump automatically initiated bolus reduction.

"The pump's beeping."

Kono pointed at the perfusor pump. The nurse responded with a nod. "It's probably just the pressure alarm."

"I'm increasing occlusion pressure."

The nurse pressed a few buttons on the pump, and the beeping sound stopped as quickly as it started. "The syringe is empty. Hold on, I'll be back to replace it in a minute." Two minutes later, a new syringe was put into the syringe holder and the nurse typed in the 'volume to be delivered'and the first bolus infusion of the medication.

"Thanks."

Chin breathed in deeply.

This feels unreal, definitely unreal.

"We're doing absolutely everything we can to help your friend to stay alive and fight this." Dr. Kalani said in a quiet tone before he left Kono and Chin on their own.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Rachel Edwards' Residence, 1000 Hours**_

Grace stared out the window in her room, arms crossed over her chest, while she internally debated whether or not to go downstairs. She wished she could see her Danno and also her Uncle Steve. _Damn it, why did this happen?_ She did not understand. At least it was not a school day. But if it had been she probably wouldn't have gone. She walked down the stairs, told her mom she would go for a walk and would be back later.

"Grace?" Rachel's voice stopped her just as she reached the door.

"What is it?" Grace tried acting normally but she couldn't admit that she was not her usual self even when acting as normally as possible.

Yet she couldn't keep the slight shivers out of her voice.

"Be careful, Grace." She said, suppressing a sigh as she saw the worry on Grace's face. Maybe the fresh air would help with clearing her head. Upon leaving the house Grace walked along the road to the nearest bus stop to take the bus into the city and from there to the hospital. It took Grace quite some time to get there but she managed it. The determination in her eyes she walked into the hospital lobby, looking around for a floor plan that would tell her where she needed to go, where the cardiac intensive care was located on these hospital grounds. But before Grace could find anything on the map she heard a voice calling her name.

"Grace, is that you?"

Stunned, the teenage girl turned around only to come to face with her Auntie Kono.

"Kono."

She sputtered slightly, not exactly knowing how to respond.

However, Kono merely smiled at the girl and hugged her. Relishing the comfort the hug provided Grace leaned into it.

"Grace?"

Kono questioned after breaking the hug, sounding surprised, to say the least. Grace glanced up when she heard Kono's voice.

"What are you doing here? Does your mom know you're here?" Kono questioned, sitting down next to the girl. Grace merely shrugged with her shoulders. "Mom thinks I went for a walk. But I needed to see Danno." Grace told her, looking down at her shoes. That Kono noticed and put a hand on Grace's shoulder.

"Sssh, it's okay, Grace." Kono muttered soothingly, "I understand."

Grace looked up at her.

"You have seen them, haven't you?" She then wanted to know as she stared straight ahead. "Grace," Kono said in a soft voice, unsure of what to say and how to react. "You have." She stated, interrupting Kono. "You have seen Danno and Uncle Steve and you don't want to tell me because it is bad." She demanded, not trying to suppress her rising emotions.

"Please, I am not a kid anymore, I can take it."

With honest, brown eyes she glanced at Kono, hoping she would cave in and maybe try and convince Danny's doctor to let her see him for a few minutes. Kono, on the other hand, wasn't so sure if that was a good idea.

The Hawaiian woman wracked her mind for something that would help her explain to Grace why visiting Danno right now wasn't such a good idea.

"Please, Auntie Kono." Grace tried again, not giving up on wanting to see Danno. I need to see Danno. But she left that unsaid, Kono understood anyways. With a sigh, Kono relented and told her adopted niece that she would try and talk to the doctor who has been treating her father, maybe the hospital personnel could stretch the rules a bit. For Grace. "I will talk to Danny's doctor, Grace but I can't make any promises. He might not allow it." Kono started an attempt to prepare Grace for what might happen when they talked to Danny's physician.

At a slow pace, both girls made their way over to the hospital's elevator that would bring them to the right floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

 _ **Day 2, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 1100 Hours**_

Grace waited outside as Kono had a conversation with Danny's treating physician.

She was talking animatedly, obviously trying to convince him to let Grace see her dad, if only for a few minutes. Feeling nervous, Grace paced up and down the hallway, outside the door marked 'Cardiac Intensive Care Unit'. When she looked through the windows on the doors separating the intensive care unit from the other parts of the hospital. Minutes later, it seemed like hours to Grace, Kono returned to meet her outside the double doors. "Auntie Kono." Grace was instantly thereafter Kono pushed open the double doors, looking at her with big eyes filled with hope that they would let her see Danny.

"Grace." Grace's posture stiffened a bit.

She knew it, they wouldn't let her see him, she should have known.

But then again, she was a kid.

"That means I can't go see him?" She questioned in a shivery voice. Kono's lips formed into a barely visible smile.

"It took some convincing on my part-" Kono began answering.

Grace frowned, this wasn't a straight out negative. "However," Kono glanced at Grace to gauge her reaction, "The doctor to let you visit for five minutes." Grace perked up at that. But that reaction was slightly dulled by the fact she had no idea at all as to what to expect in that room in intensive care unit except a whole lot of tubes, lines, and heart monitors and stuff, and it also made her reconsider whether or not this was a good idea.

What if she couldn't take seeing Danno like this?!

Danno needs you, you can do this. That's what Grace told herself, to make herself feel brave.

"Five minutes?" Grace asked, stunned but glad that she was allowed to see her Danno, even only for a few minutes. Kono nodded in reply. Kono turned around to motioned for Danny's doctor who was standing a few meters away, to come over to them. "Grace, this is your dad's doctor. He's gonna answer all your questions." Kono told her as she put an arm around Grace's shoulder. "Remember, you don't need to do this, Grace," Kono said softly, a hand on Grace's shoulder. Grace shook her head, determined not to let anyone talk her out of this. She needed to see her Danno and now she finally had the chance, a chance she wasn't going to let slip away.

When she looked at her aunt, she could see genuine concern and worry in her eyes.

Then her eyes turned to the doctor.

Tentatively, Grace stretched out her hand. "I'm Grace Williams. Can you take me to my dad now, please?" Grace questioned, feeling the doctor looking at her. The doctor seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

"I know you're eager to see your dad, Grace, can I call you that?"

Grace merely nodded, willing him to go on.

"Your dad's still very sick." The doctor searched for the right words, choosing them carefully. "There are going to be a lot of medical devices surrounding his bed. One of those devices is helping your dad breathe." He tried to explain. Grace's eyes widened in alarm. She could feel Kono getting a bit antsy, unsure of whether they should do this. Maybe this should wait until they have extubated Danny and he could breathe on his own.

Kono stepped behind Grace, putting both hands on her shoulders, in a low voice she asked if she was okay.

"Yeah, I am."

"You sure you want to do this?!" Kono questioned again, not sure about this, as Grace and Kono followed Danny's doctor to Danny's room intensive care unit, she still wasn't sure if Grace should see all these monitors and medical devices. Grace pressed her lips together.

"I need to do this. You are forgetting I am not eight years old anymore, I am older now." Grace insisted but she avoided direct eye contact with Kono.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 1110 Hours**_

When Danny's doctor, Kono, and Grace reached Danny's cubicle in the intensive care unit after having walked past other patients' cubicles. "We're here." The doctor merely told them. Grace turned around, sought reassurance from Kono who responded with a soft nod. Go ahead, Grace, her eyes seemed to say. Danny's daughter squared her shoulders in an attempt to push away the growing fear accumulating inside her before stepping foot into that cubicle.

She felt Kono's presence behind her.

A part of her was relieved that Kono was there, that she would not be alone. A hand clasped over her mouth in shock as she caught the sight of Danno for the first time after the incident. He's alive, she tried to remind herself, nevertheless she could feel her heart racing in her chest.

"Danno."

Grace's voice was barely loud enough to be noticeable as she continued to stare at the tube sticking out of his mouth. There was just so many lines and medical devices, also the sounds, the beeping, the noises that the devices made.

It was all new to Grace.

She had never seen something like this in real life before. Only in the movies. But it wasn't like that at all. It was so much more shocking and overwhelming in reality, that Grace realized. Grace's breath hitched, a choked gasp escaped her mouth, and the girl's eyes widened at the shocking sight. It took a moment or two to get used to the unfamiliar environment and the noises but even if it took Grace some time and determination, eventually she was able to see her Danno beneath all that medical equipment.

Mechanically, Grace took a few uncertain, hesitant footsteps into the glassed-in cubicle as she was heading for the hospital bed.

Kono stayed back but kept a watchful eye on Grace at all times, yet she wants Grace to have a moment alone with Danny. When Grace reached the bed, she reached out to touch Danny's hand but stopped. With a racing heart, she swung around with a grimace on her face as she glanced at Danny's doctor.

"Am I allowed-" Her voice breaks a tiny bit, "To hold his hand for just a second?" Grace wanted to know.

"You can do that, just be careful."

At that, Grace hesitated for a second before reaching out again, this time her smaller hands actually touched Danny's hand, a hesitant smile on her face. It was warm, which was somewhat reassuring to Grace. When she glanced up she could see the steady blips on the cardiac monitor on the wall behind Danny's hospital bed. She leaned forward, then she whispered into his ear, while hoping that one some subconscious level, Danny'd be able to hear her. "I love you, Danno. Just don't die, Danno. I need you."

Grace squeezed his hand again.

Knowing she wouldn't get a reaction, yet still hopeful that, maybe, just maybe-

Then, as much as it tore her heart apart, Grace let go of Danny's hand and turns to walk over to Kono. Barring all that had happened, since she had seen Danny, something else meaningful and important had wormed its way back into Grace's sentiments.

Hope.

Something she had thought she'd lost irrevocably.

This had been absolutely heartbreaking to watch, at least it had felt that way for Kono. It had been even more unbearable for Grace, in all probability.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Ala Wai Harbour, Honolulu, O'ahu, 1135 Hours**_

There was a lot of action and activity at the port as crime scene personnel worked up the crime scene, Eric not being one of them. Considering one of the vics was his uncle his supervisor had cut him some slack and gave him time off to be and support his family. He had taken the news hard, even more so after last time.

There lots of people running around.

Lots of yellow crime scene tapes, access to that specific area had been closed off for the public so that the police could work the case without disruptions, after all, it is personal this time.

Despite the sun shining down on them and the lingering thoughts about Steve and his best friend circling around inside the Joe's brain as if in a continuous loup.

Commander Joe White attempted multiple times to forcefully focus on the active investigation.

He really, most definitely tried, the Commander felt his concentration span waning as his thoughts were someplace else, no matter how much Joe attempted to keep his eyes on the mission.

A breeze from the ocean had come rushing over them, and that heightened his senses, Joe White was now finally aware that his name has been called numerous times already, yet he hadn't realized that because Joe was preoccupied with gnawing thoughts about Steve and a lesser extent, also Danny who both did not deserve a single thing of what had happened to them, busy pondering the possible outcomes. "Commander?" Jerry had been calling his name for the past few minutes, that in itself was a rare and unusual occurrence for a man like Joe White who's been trained to abolish such distracting thoughts from his mind and focus on the mission.

But, something was more important than the mission.

 _Steve_.

That was making sure that Steve was indeed alive.

It wouldn't feel right not to go see him, and from what Chin has told him his condition sounds serious, and that's being generous.

Joe eventually decided to call it quits and drive over to Tripler Army Medical Center.

"I have to do something." The team's special consultant furrowed his brows at Joe's words. "Uh, yeah." Jerry stammered a bit, obviously taken aback by Joe's sudden restlessness and need to leave the scene. "What about the case?" A kinda insensitive question in prospect of the circumstances.

Joe merely shrugged in response.

"I gotta see Steve."

With that said he turned around toward his parked car, heading off to Tripler to check on Steve.

Needing to see him. Steve.

That he's still alive.

His thoughts remain on the one person, and going back to what Chin had told him when Steve's friend and team member came to inform him about Steve and Danny lying in intensive care, both men in critical condition. When the former SEAL reached the military hospital, he was tense and his nervousness increased minute by minute.

Minutes later, Joe White headed toward the building, with the intent to check on John's son, and the man he considers a _son_.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Family Room, 1235 Hours**_

Joe's eyes gazed at the unmoving form of Commander Steve McGarrett. His heart thumped noticeably in his chest. As he let his glance wander downwards he could make out the cannulae snaking its way out of and into Steve's thigh, providing him with oxygenated blood and removing the carbon dioxide from the blood once it returns to the machine. "I will see if I can grab the Commander's doctor so that he can talk to you about your friend's condition." The nurse addressed him, standing a few steps behind to give him space to process.

Joe doesn't respond. He just looked at Steve, couldn't really believe what he's seeing.

But it is _happening_.

Steve's alive, that's what he's holding onto.

So there was hope.

Hope that, by some miracle, he'd survive. However, Joe is aware that the machine he's on saved his life considering how bad his condition had been on the helo. He remembered all of it clearly, the repeated attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the medics fighting to save his life. When the glass doors opened with some creaking sounds, the former Navy man rushed around, only to come to face with Steve's primary physician. "You must be Commander White." The physician responded, before glancing at the different monitors and displays telling him about all sorts of important things.

"I'm Dr. Kalani, I have been treating the Commander since his admission."

"Commander Joe White." He introduced himself, with a concerned glance at the unmoving man in the bed, surrounded by beeping and blinking monitoring devices and pumps.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

When the steady, continuous beeping and the lingering somber atmosphere filling the air became too much to bear Joe made the reluctant decision to leave Steve's room in intensive care unit for a quick break and then return. Then, Joe made his way over to the family room in the hopes of finding a coffee machine there. But he hadn't anticipated that he would see Chin there, but then he shouldn't be that surprised. "Joe?" Chin, on the other hand was surprised to see him here, called his name, utterly surprised to see Steve's former commanding officer here. Joe dropped down into one one of the fluffy seats before hiding his face in his hands. He had seen a lot of violence and death over the years, it came with the job description but this was different, something else because it was _Steve_.

"You seen him?" Chin questioned after the men had been sitting in companionable silence for some time, not even turning his head to look at him as he continued staring ahead.

"I had to see him."

Joe responded a couple breaths later, brushing his hands over his face, of course having used disinfectant before, anything else but be plain stupid especially in a place like this; emitting a soft sigh conveying concern.

"It's not good."

At _all_.

A chuckle void of all happiness escaped his mouth.

"But that's Steve for you."

Chin said nothing as he merely listened to Joe.

"Steve's always gone after the hardest opponent so this is typical for him." Joe stated as his glance shifted just a tiny bit, sparing a gaze at the Hawaiian man before staring straight ahead again. "I just hope he survives." Chin uttered, a worried frown creasing his brows. " _They_." Chin halted for a millisecond before going on. "He and Danny both. It will be brutal when we have to Danny about Steve. I am worried that if we tell him about Steve's actual condition it will have an impact on his recovery as well. You know how deep their bond goes." Chin shook his head, this thought had been going around in his head for quite some time now.

At that, Joe stopped walking, as did Chin.

"Listen, son. Danny isn't even off the vent yet, is he?"

Chin swallowed, "He's still on the vent."

"Then let's worry about that later. One step at the time. We can worry about that when his doctor removes the tube and Williams can breathe on his own. Then we can decide on what to tell him concerning Steve."

"Yeah."

Chin stuttered slightly.

"Yeah, that's good advice. Thanks, Joe." Joe paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"I know that's hard."

Joe grimaced slightly as he remembered a certain situation. He'd been in this situation before, Steve injured and barely hanging on. It seemed like history is repeating itself. Chin glanced at the older man, eventually deciding on saying nothing in reply as both men made their way to the parking lot. Joe checked his phone to see if he had unread messages. A text from Jerry's number plopped up on the screen. Four calls, all calls from Jerry, had gone to voice mail as he'd put the phone on air plane mode in the hospital. "I just heard from Jerry." Joe shared pertinent information with the lieutenant who in response glanced at him.

"Go on."

"He's contacted me about a new lead, about that kid that the guy from the rental company gave us."

"We have to hunt down the new kid from the rental shop, got an address?"

Joe shook his head.

"Just a phone number. We might be able to trace it and bring him in."

Chin nodded.

"That sounds like a plan." The Hawaiian born man replied, deciding in that moment that he would be part of that group bringing that suspect in.

"Let's loop in HPD when we have an exact location. We might need backup." Chin went on, about to get into his car, hoping that the traffic won't be bad on the way back to the Iolani Palace, as that would take up a massive amount of time. Time that could be spent finding that new kid from the rental company, whose alibi they had to check, that is if he had one. Maybe he was the one who is behind this. But somehow Chin believed that this was bigger, vendetta-sort of bigger. That someone was after Steve, just like Wo Fat had been.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea."

Commander Joe White readily agreed, going along with Chin's well-thought out suggestion. "We don't need any more injuries."

"We don't." Chin echoed in a quiet tone.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Tripler Army Medical Center, Cafeteria, 1230 Hours**_

Grace and Kono walked quietly in the direction of the cafeteria.

Kono threw a fast side glance at the young teen. Grace has barely said anything since she had been in to see Danny. Maybe it had been a bit too much for her, even when Grace Williams had been convinced she was ready to see Danny in this state.

The pair headed toward a table right next to a window with overlook of the parking lot. Kono was glad that the cafeteria was not as filled with people as expected, therefore it was a quieter environment which is much appreciated at this point in time. For what felt like an eternity Grace and Kono just sat there, both lost in their own thoughts. For a moment Kono wondered what kind of things were running through Grace's mind. Sure, it wasn't the first Danny had been injured and there had been close calls before but never anything of this magnitude.

"I'm getting a cup of coffee. Do you want anything?" Kono broke the lingering quiet causing the young girl to glance up and at Kono, if only for a second.

"I'm not hungry, thanks."

Grace's gaze wandered back to the table.

Quietly acknowledging Grace's response to Kono's question, the Hawaiian woman got up, leaving Grace in quiet to sort out her thoughts and feelings. When Kono returned, not only had she brought coffee with her but also a snack for should she feel hungry. Just in case. After all, this is Danny's little girl.

Having sat there in silence for quite some time, each pondered their stuff, and there was a lot of it. "I never-" Grace gazed at Kono, "I never asked about Steve. I mean he's alive, right?" She did sound a bit unsure. "You would have told me if-" Grace paused, the question unfinished.

 _If Uncle Steve's dead ..._

Kono put her hand loosely on Grace's before looking her straight in the eyes, before assuring the girl that her favorite Uncle Steve was still alive. "Steve is alive, Grace." Kono replied in a soft tone, yet filled with strength and assurance which astounded Grace. "He's fighting, as is your dad." _Don't give up on them just yet._ That seemed to be the underlying message Kono wanted to get across.

Grace merely nodded, a barely discernible shake of her head.

Where did Kono get this, the strength to believe that all would be back to normal eventually, that this would have a happy ending after all?!

Right now, she didn't dare to hope.

Grace let out sputtering breath. As smart as she was she easily figure out that that was only half the truth, that there was more to it than what Kono had told her about Steve. "Can you-" Grace stopped mid-sentence, swallowed back the lump in her throat. "How is he? Uncle Steve I mean. No one's ever really told me."

At that Kono glanced up.

"No one's told you?"

Grace confirmed that, and Kono could not be more surprised at that as Steve was a very important person in her life, too. She deserves to know how he's doing, even _when_ the news isn't good. But pretending all is okay when the opposite is true won't solve anything and it won't magically reverse what happened. Kono let out a slow breah, before trying to explain in simple terms to Grace who listened with an unreadable facial expression. "Like Danny Steve is in ICU, too." Grace frowned, it's not that it came unexpected, it really didn't but hearing it from Kono made it all seem more real, like it was happening and there was no escaping.

With a scrunched face, she questioned in a very low voice, "So that means Uncle Steve has a machine helping him breathe too, right?" She remembered what the doctor had explained to her before letting her see Danny.

"That's correct, he's breathing with the help of a machine." Kono confirmed the girl's conclusion. "And there's another machine supporting his heart," She said, not exactly telling her that _that_ machine had taken over cardiac and pulmonary functions for the time being.

Kono recognized that Grace was trying to comprehend what Kono's been explaining to her concerning her Uncle Steve's condition but was failing to maintain composure. Grace's lower lip wobbled suspiciously. At that point, Kono pulled her adoptive niece in for a bear hug, knowing that anything she said wouldn't mean jack in this situation, that a hug would provide more comfort than any words could.

Grace hid her face in Kono's shoulder, as the young girl was desperately trying to suppress the tears building in her.

She'd cried a lot since this whole mess started, a small part in her said that she should be stronger but for the most part she just didn't care. She has more, way more important things on to worry about. Not to mention, the close-knit Five-0 _'ohana_ provided a safe haven for showing such emotions which helped her cope a great deal.

"Kono?"

Grace ended the embrace, a little embarrassed she quickly wiped away traces of tears before looking at her aunt, as a tentative smile crossed her face.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Grace said, that hint of a half smile still on her face. "For, you know, being here for me."

Kono gave her a gentle embrace.

"We're _'ohana_ , Grace. We care for each other, always. Know that we're always here for you." Chin's cousin replied, a trace of a smile covered her face, her voice filled with emotion.

" _'ohana_."

Grace repeated the Hawaiian word, meaning family.

A family that would always stand up for one another, be there for another and stand by one's side ...

 _All for one, one for all.'_

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Kāneʻohe, Suspect's Apartment, O'ahu, 1550 Hours**_

"I'll drive." In the next moment Joe had the truck's keys in his hands, and Chin threw him a look. That sounded suspiciously like someone they all know very well.

Steve.

Yet no one dared to mention his name.

About forty minutes after pinpointing the location and the drive to the suspect's apartment, Chin Ho Kelly and Joe White arrived at their location.

Upon stopping the car, Chin and Joe, both wearing their vests; got out, checked their weapons as the rest of the cavalry arrived on scene. Backup, of course, for their own safety. Chin had insisted. Steve and Danny were already out, they would be no use to anyone if Chin, Lou and Joe end up in trouble themselves and there is no one around to realize that they are in trouble, and need backup. Lou Grover had notified Chin earlier, insisting that he be a part of the team and join them after the Chicago-born man heard that they were going after a potential suspect. Not that he had to, the more support the better.

Two squad cars stopped behind Chin's car, the police officers also dressed for a fight.

All knew that it could, potentially, get ugly. Lou was already on scene. Lou Grover walked to Chin and Steve's former commanding officer in quick strides.

"Hey, man."

Lou approached Chin, a worried frown creasing his face.

"What's the latest on our boys?"

He locked eyes with Chin wo released a deep sigh as he remembered how bad Steve had looked when he and Kono had been in to visit their boss and close friend. The Hawaiian remembered the crushing feeling thag he'd felt after first laying eyes on Steve, connected to all those lines, perfusor pumps and the circuit of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, then also the emergency equipment nearby in case it is needed. "As far as I know, there's been no change in either of their conditions." Chin said, the lack of optimism obvious in his voice.

Lou muttered a suppressed 'Damnit' in reply to that.

"Ready to do this?"

Chin pressed his lips together.

"Let's brief the team and catch this animal." Chin referred to the Honolulu police officers providing adequate backup, in case this goes south. Chin hoped it would not but who knows with these things. Their job is risky, it's always been risky and that won't change now.

Minutes later, the police secured the perimeter around the suspect's home, a small apartment in an old apartment complex. Upon walking up loads of outside stairs they reached the fourth level on which their suspect lived according to the DMV records, they reached apartments labelled 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D.

The third apartment on the right seemed a bit suspicious.

That was weird.

The door was partially open. Doors are supposed to be closed. Chin scrunched his face, looked back to Lou as he signaled to him that he should clear that apartment with the help of police officers that had geared up for support. Lou Grover responded with a brief nod, his facial expression grim and determination could be read in is his face.

Chin, wearing his tac vest for his own protection, burst into the apartment registered their suspect. Lou Grover, Joe White and police officers, all similarly dressed, followed and spread out to clear the apartment room for room. They had to open the front door forcefully as it was closed. Their warrant, the one Chin had a judge draw up for them because he didn't want to jeopardize their case on a technicality, it allowed them to breach and search the place. It was tiny and not very tidy, clothes littered the floor and there was a half-eaten pizza slices on the wooden kitchen table, used kitchen utensils in the sink with grease stains all over them, no one had felt responsible for cleaning the dishes.

Disgusting.

Chin turned away, and headed to the bordering room, the living room.

There was no there.

Chin goes on, and soon made his way to the bedroom. Clear, as had the adjoining rooms been. No sign of their suspect they are hunting. Disappointed, Chin returned to the suspect's living room where he had discovered the mysterious notes. When Chin leaned over them he could see stuff that was quite intriguing. Numbers. Lots of them, ending with -decimal south and -decimal north. Coordinates.

Chin studied the map, and paid little attention to the rest of the room.

That is until there was a loud rumble.

The sound of glass smashing on the ground. "Joe?" Chin gazed up in alarm, concern evident in his tone.

Then, a shadow rushed past the door. Within seconds Chin had pointed his gun at the individual but the suspect is on the run. Then there was a pained scream, causing Chin to glance up. He was fast in deciding to run after the guy. "Freeze." Chin's loud voice broke through the relative quiet. But what he didn't expect was that the suspect was waiting for him behind the next door. With a loud scream the man lunged at Chin, intentionally slamming into Chin. As a result of that Chin hit the wall hard, adrenaline surged through him, the thought of Steve and Danny was enough to give it his best shot to get this man off the streets.

He retaliated with a punch to the suspect's gut causing him to curl into himself.

The man let out a suppressed but pained grunt. "You are gonna pay for this." The man's eyes glistened, a wild and crazed gaze catching his before their suspect swung a punch at him, hitting Chin in the right shoulder, then backhanded him into the face. Dazed by the impact Chin found himself stumbling backwards, he could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. The Hawaiian gritted his teeth and fuelled by different emotions, he punched the guy that continued to desist. "Will you stop that?" Chin questioned as he had the man in a, favourable position for Chin at least, not so much for the suspect who kicked his legs up and down to get Chin off of him.

"No?"

Another flailing kick.

"Do you want us to add another charge on top if the loads of trouble you are already in?" The man in unfavourable position lying on his stomach, on the ground while Chin hand-cuffed him. "Let me go." The man let out in wailing tone. Sighing, Chin looked down at the man, "I can add resisting arrest to the pending charges. Yeah, I might just do that."

Chin was resolute, not backing down, and the suspect threw him a pissed off look.

"Screw you." The suspect snarled.

The suspect retorted promptly, malice dripping from his tongue. "Let me go." He tried again. Chin rolled his eyes, how can he honestly believe that they would let him go, especially after he had resisted arrest. That he resisted when the police came to arrest him seemed to strengthen their theory that he was indeed involved in some illegal business.

"No way, buddy."

"Just f*ck off."

What an elaborate choice of words, Chin thought to himself as he had the man kneel down instead of lying pressed against the cold, hard and uncomfortable hardwood floors. Ignoring the observing glances of the police officers entering the apartment after the threat had been dealt with, and starting to search the place. After a short but intense fight, the man had been cuffed and restrained. "Lieutenant Kelly, do you need any assistance." A police officer offered, he was wearing the same getup as Chin, just the official police version. "Keep an eye on this one, please." Chin nodded towards the suspect who wore a slimy grin on his face as he watched Chin interact with his colleague. "I need to check on Joe." Chin asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Sure thing, brah." The officer replied, eyes on the suspect.

Chin presumed that the officer had heard about Danny's and Steve's condition, at least HPD had been given the general information as it was needed for the investigation and the report related to that incident.

"Mahalo, man."

"If he moves shoot him."

Chin said to the police sergeant, feeling the blank gaze of the suspect lingering on his back.

He could feel irritation rise up in him.

He holstered his service weapon and made his way to the bordering room. Amidst the kitchen, there was broken cups and plates lying on the ground, shattered to tiny pieces.

"Joe? You there?"

Chin's tentative question was rewarded with a groan, then a "I'm here, son." from Joe, who was trying to sit up amidst what could only be described as chaos.

"You're bleeding."

"I know."

The former Navy responded to Chin.

Upon making sure that there was no immediate danger to Joe's life, their focus kinda shifted. Joe pinched his nose in agitation as he gazed at Steve's colleague and close friend.

"He got the drop on me. Please don't tell me you let him get away?"

Chin's brows furrowed.

" 'Course not. We got him, Joe." Chin instantaneously replied, the answer was enough for Joe to sag down in relief that the man who might be involved, even though they were not sure how, in all this had not gotten away, had not been able to flee.

Hiding his concern, Chin spared a closer look at the obvious injuries.

"Got hit in the face with glass vase."

Joe answered the unasked question before Chin could ask him what the hell had happened. Chin saw the glass shards spread out across the room.

"No kidding."

Chin muttered something unintelligible under his breath as he surveyed the scene before turning his attention back to Joe.

Joe reached up to his forehead, feeling the stickiness of the blood on his hands. He sighed as he looked at his fingers, he could see the red blood on his fingers.

"What happened?" Chin's voice broke through his thoughts.

At Chin's question the older man sighed, and averted his glance. He was still quarrelled with the fact that the other man got the drop on him. Feeling Chin's frowning glance resting on him Joe pulled himself together and told the tale of what had gone down in this room. The suspect had attacked with a big right overhand punch, then hit him over the head with a vase. The blow to the head was severe enough to slow Joe's responses.

However, he hadn't come far anyways thanks to Chin pursuing him, trading blows and eventually overpowering him.

"Let me have a look."

Then, Chin pursed his lips and told him, "You might wanna get that looked at. You might need stitches for that head lac."

Joe shed a short laugh as he got back up on his own, only using Chin's held out hand as leverage to pull himself up all the way.

"Might need stitches?" He questioned ironically.

Chin shrugged at the man's reply. "I'm no doctir, Joe. So _yes_ , might." Chin told him in a confident voice, thereby emphasizing the 'might' to which Joe couldn't help the grin spreading out on his face.

With two strides Chin crossed the living room until he stood next to the small table. There was a grey couch, a small wooden table, and what came as a surprise to Chin, a large LCD TV screen in the middle of the room, yet the room was only sparsely decorated. Chin saw some notes and maps on the man's table. "You got something?" Joe was close behind him, the wound temporarily forgotten and anything related to that put on hold as they sifted through the evidence.

Chin pointed at the map on the wooden table. "Look at this. There's an area circled, Joe." Chin held something in his hands, studying it carefully.

"A circled area?"

Joe's attention was piqued.

"Let me see."

Chin spared a closer look at the map.

"It's a map of the Pacific, moreover it shows this island chain." Joe said after short moment of silence.

Chin motioned to the rumpled map. Joe heaved a sigh before putting the map back on the wooden table. Both men realised that this finding might be the link that ties their suspect to the rigged boat and the explosion. "Let the crime scene unit handle the evidence, Joe."

Joe merely gazed at him, Chin not relenting on that. "We are going for a trip to the hospital."

Joe seemed like he wanted to protest but Chin wouldn't have any of it. It was an advantage that he and the team had so much experience in dragging stubborn SEALs to get seen by a doctor when hurt and injured after a case ending in injuries that require proper treatment, even when Steve's insisting there's no need for it. In most cases, Danny and the team help convince Steve that going to get seen by a medical professional is the way to go and if necessary, just drag him to the nearest emergency department should the injury require that kind of action.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Hawaii Medical Center, Emergency Room, 1610 Hours**_

"You should get that looked at." Chin motioned to Joe's head. "What do you mean?" Joe questioned.

"I'm not hurt." Joe insisted stubbornly.

Chin rolled his eyes.

He had lost count of how many time Danny, Kono and he had to deal with the same problem. Danny ranting and ranting about what an obstinate idiot Steve is being usually does the trick, leading to Steve grudgingly seek medical care for his supposedly minor injuries. "You know, Steve does that too."

Joe shot him a glance.

"The whole refusing medical care-thing. Steve does that always and it drives Danny crazy, because he worries." Chin let out a laugh as he reminisced about the happy moments, when they were all together, alive. Joe glanced at him from the side, Chin had already decided he would take Joe to get that cut treated from someone who knows what they're doing. "Danny gets crazy when Steve gets hurt, and it's the same when Danny gets hurt. They worry so much about each other when one gets hurt."

"So much for no further injuries." Chin muttered under his breath.

"This is nothing."

Joe shrugged the injury off as if it were nothing.

Chin blew out a breath.

Sergeant Lukela and his man had taken Bannister back to the Palace to be interrogated. "Sure." He muttered under his breath, disbelieving.

"Then you should get checked out as well."

"I never said I would not." Chin gave back as Joe reluctantly followed him to the car. "Keys, Joe. I'm driving this time." Chin's voice didn't let any room for arguments. This time, though, Joe handed over the car's keys over without any protest. Upon signing in, they were told to wait for their turn to get seen. HMC's emergency department was filled with patients, thanks the triage system they had to wait quite some time to get seen. But, waiting is good in this case. Forty minutes later, in one of the treatment rooms, Joe sat on the gurney, his protests that it was all not necesary annoyed the medical personnel caring for the Commander to no end.

Chin watched as Joe got his head lac stitched and cleaned.

Chin had been seen already and given the all clear. He's fine except for some bumps and bruises.

"Just let them do their thing, Joe."

Chin told him, and had told him many times before on the way here, Joe continued to insist that treatment is by no means needed, wanted or necessary. "I don't need any-" Joe objected obtusely and stubborn, an indignant glance at Chin standing in the corner of the treatment room.

Chin did not agree.

At all.

Chin standing in one corner, arms crossed over his chest as he quietly observed the physician's treating Joe's bloodied laceration. The younger man could already see the bruises forming, resulting from the confrontation and following fight with Briggs. Briggs had some bruises too, but the guy had been resisting arrest. An officer had taken the suspect to get examined before bringing him to the Iolani Palace where the interrogation would take place.

"We're all done here."

A young doctor with a pony tail had finished cleaning and suturing the laceration on his forehead. She looked at him sternly.

"I understand that you have been in a fight, is that right?"

Joe confirmed that for her.

"Any headaches, nausea, dizziness?" She wanted to know, "I want the truth, Sir."

"None of the above. I'm fine, believe me, doc." Joe responded as she covered up the wound, adding in the next moment, "I feel fine."

"Just making sure you're good to go." She countered with a friendly smile.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Iolani Palace, Honolulu, O'ahu, 1640 Hours**_

"Hey, guys." Kono entered the office carrying takeout boxes in her arms.

"I thought we could use a break." She went on as she walked over to the Smart Table. All eyes turned to her. Chin furrowed his brows in concern as he saw his cousin standing in the office.

He smiled at her, a tentative smile offering little assurance.

But it helped lifting her spirits a bit.

Chin glanced at his cousin, instantly he noticed the tiredness across her features. He took her aside, his hand on her shoulder as he quietly questioned how she was. A loud sigh was the answer. "I had to talk with Grace, Chin. I had to tell her about Steve. She took it hard-" She broke off, and wiped a tear away, "Maybe I shouldn't have told her that he's so bad off. She's only fifteen, after all."

Kono avoided Chin's worried glances before shoving the takeout boxes in his hands. "I dropped her off at Rachel's two hours ago, then went back to the hospital to sit with Danny. I also went to check on Steve. Kalani says there hasn't been much change." Kono glanced at her hands, distracted. When she looked up her gaze fell in the food containers. "I think I was hungry on the way over so I stopped by to one of those food trucks."

Kono motioned to the boxes.

"I needed a break."

Needed to get out of the hospital for some time.

Another soft sigh comping from Kono as she gazed at her cousin.

"Any significant progress on your end?" As opposed to the other side. She wanted to know, trying to get past the ever present feeling of helplessness, a feeling that had been constant during the last couple days. "We made some progress on the case." Chin told her about the case as they walked over to the rest of the group, Kono's almost instant response was, "You have someone in custody?"

Her cousin nodded.

Before he disappeared for a moment to leave the takeout food boxes in his office. They would eat that food later. Without words, the Hawaiian pulled up a mug shot on the computer screen. "This guy-" He introduced the person in the photo taken by the Honolulu Police Department, at the same time pulling up the guy's criminal record. "Us, with the help of the police force we managed to snatch that guy, we followed protocol to a 'T' to make sure he won't be able skate on the charge due to undue force. He currently enjoying the hospitality of our interrogation suite." Chin's voice was dripping with sarcasm. It was obvious.

Kono's face hardened. "Who is he?"

Kono's cousin turned to gaze her face, immediately he could see the multitude of emotions flash over her face as she tried to remain calm and composed. She must be taking this, all that happened in the past hours, hard. "He is a newly hired employee of Waianae Travel Charters, the company that rented one of their boats to Steve and Danny. Mitch Harrison has identified him as the one who conducted the necessary checks that are protocol after getting a boat back. According to his file he's got a record." Lou made a surprised sound as he read the listed felonies committed by their suspect.

"That's quite an impressive jacket for twenty year old." Kono responded mirthlessly as she stared at the giant screen. "Looks like he's been one those teens that always cause trouble." She glares at the mug shot at the screen, a gloomy and lugubrious expression on her face. "You wanna go make him spill on whoever he's manipulated boats for?" Chin questioned, as if he read Kono's mind. "You bet your ass I do."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 2, Iolani Palace, Honolulu, O'ahu, 1700 Hours**_

Kono paced around in the concrete box that is used for interrogating people like Bannister. Her arms crossed over her chest as she gazed at the suspect. It was a hardened and steely gaze. "You don't seem like a smart guy, Briggs." The guy looked up but said nothing. "I mean you decided fighting with a pissed off Navy SEAL is a smart idea." Kono glared at the man. It isn't, the split lip and the bruises were an attribute to that absolutely dumb and stupid decision.

Briggs regarded her with an expression less gaze before staring on the ground.

Kono kept pacing, to get on his nerves.

Maybe then he'd be more inclined to tell them what he knows and who he works for. "The thing is we know all about you. We got our crime scene techs going through your home." Chin leaned against the wall, having taken on an observing position. "So what? You ain't gonna find there." The suspect hissed, moving around on the chair causing the cuffs to clatter against the metal chair he is sitting in.

Kono let out a unimpressed laugh.

"You sure about that?" She said in a serious tone, one that meant business. The man stared back at her, not a single muscle moving, just that devilish grin plastered onto his face.

Kono kneeled down in front of the man so that she would look him in the eye.

"You are a liar and a bad one at that."

Kono feels her patience wane, with each passing minute. The suspect only raised an eyebrow as if to say, whats that got to do with me? You have nothing one me. Kono let hints of a smirk cover her lips as she looked straight at the man in the chair. "You see we found oceanic maps with coordinates marking the spot at which the ship exploded. Our crime scene techs don't get enough credit for the fine work they do but do you know something? They pulled your prints off of those maps we found. Coupled with the other findings, it's enough to make you rot in prison." Kono lowered her voice threateningly.

"Talk!"

The man blew out a breath.

Letting his gaze slide over the interior of the interrogation room he eventually glanced at as he heard Chin's voice.

Chin wandered over, arms still crossed over his chest.

"We know you are in in whatever plot you have going on." Chin paused, inhaling deeply before exhaling, to get calmer.

Then he asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"Is it revenge for something these two cops you put in the hospital did? Why did you manipulate that boat so that Commander Steve McGarrett and Detective Danny Williams would be stranded at sea with no means of rescue because all failed? Who of of them was targeted, or were both of them?" Chin had questions and he wanted them answered.

Kono watched the man's reaction closely.

"Some guy approached me at a bar. Said he'd give me five figures if I-" Briggs huffed, annoyed at the situation.

"If you what?" Chin was loosing cool and patience, everyone could feel it.

"Did some things to a boat rented to a couple cops or something." He shrugged, and shifted uncomfortable. Chin on the other hand got angrier and Kono could understand his emotions all too well as she was going through the same thing. "You knew what that person had planned and went along with it?" Chin's eyes widened in disgust, however, the Hawaiian native quickly masked his emotions with a cold stare.

The man laughed, "It's five figures, man. It's easy money."

Obviously not understanding what was at stake for him here. His life as he knew it would be over, the new one involving a small cell in Halawa Correctional where he would like serve the sentence because he would go to prison, that much was clear to the team. "Who are you working for, Briggs?" Chin asked in a deathly quiet voice.

As soon as a name was given, Chin turned around, Kono closely on his heels.

The heavy metal door shut with a clanging sound.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 4, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 1550 Hours**_

Steve's fragile state remained unchanged, the doctors on Steve's case still had trouble getting the arrhythmias under control, he continues to have runs of ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation, but so far, Steve held on and was fighting which was most important to them. It meant Steve had a chance overcome this, and prevail against all odds stacked against him.

Danny, however, was a different story.

His doctor had been very happy with his progress which in turn made Chin, Kono and Lou quite hopeful of a good outcome for Danny. They hoped Danny would continue to improve like he did in the previous hours. It was the update that Danny's physician told them after having viewed Danny's chest radiographs, taken with the portable CXR machine they had available, that were taken after a repeated lung ultrasound had been performed which was done at the bedside.

"As you we did some testing this morning to determine the state of Danny's lungs." Major Richardson gazed at them. Kono tapped her feet against the floor, seemed to be very impatient. Chin gave her a silent side glance at which Kono immediately stopped. She hadn't even realized.

Chin gave her a reassuring gaze and then waited for the doctor to continue on. "So far, he's making progress. The chest film shows significant improvement as does the lung ultrasound I did." He found the B-lines diminished and further decreasing. In the first ultrasound he had done upon the patient's admission to the critical care unit. The lungs definitely look better, and the chest films confirm these findings, that the feisty, strong-willed detective's lungs had improved markedly. The first chest film obtained in the emergency department had displayed interstitial and interlobar pulmonary edema. The CXR obtained today, on the fourth day, confirmed that the pulmonary edema is resolving. Which is good for Danny.

"That mean he's getting better?"

Kono replied to that, a questioning frown on her face, her brown eyes demanded the mere truth about Danny's clinical state, if his lungs are recovering from the pulmonary edema that had caused him to go into respiratory failure. "He seems to be recovering fairly well. Danny's chest films show that the pulmonary edema has mostly resolved, his oxygen levels are good with only low pressure support."

"Huh?"

Confused both Chin and Kono stared at the doctor.

"Upon consulting with my fellow intensivists, I changed Danny's ventilator settings to a different mode, because there's now adequate respiratory drive. In pressure support ventilation which is the current mode, a level of support pressure is set to assist every spontaneous breathing effort Danny makes. We might be able to remove the tube soon." The doctor explained after finishing examining Danny who for now, was relying on the vent that was now only assisting. Kono crouched on the uncomfortable recliner, watching as the vent breathed oxygen into Danny's lungs. "So, is there a chance you might be able to take him off of the ventilator today?" Chin wanted more information, and glanced at the doctor questioningly.

Lou and Kono listening quietly to what Danny's doctor had to tell him. Possibly the update would consist of good news, more good news.

Because that the edema is resolving is good news.

That would be great, especially for Grace.

She could really use good news.

They _all_ could.

Kono still remembered her sad and devastated face expression after the doctor had told that she couldn't visit Danny, at least not as long as he is in intensive care unit, even if an exception had been made and Grace had been given the opportunity to see Danny a day later.

Hearing those news must have hard as it is.

The doctor shot a short glance at the cardiac monitor before answering Chin's question.

"There is a chance that we can extubate detective Williams today, but we will have to perform necessary tests to make sure he can tolerate extubation right now." In this moment, a young woman entered the room. "Major Richardson, you paged me?" She asked, her eyes going to the patient that was still on the mechanical vent. "I see you are in need of my services." The woman stated as she caught view of the still intubated Danny.

Chin and the rest of the team exchanged confused glances.

Danny's doctor turned around, giving her a trace of a smile.

"I did indeed. Guys, this is Cara, and she is one of our respiratory therapists." Danny's doctor introduced the woman to the team gathered around Danny's hospital bed. "Together, we will manage the detective's respiratory care. Excuse us for a second." Both colleagues then left the room, with the intention to discuss further course of treatment. Ten minutes later, both the doctor and the respiratory therapist returned to Danny's room, followed by a nurse. In the next few minutes, both the doctor and the respiratory therapist explained potential risks and benefits of extubating Danny at this point. His lungs seem to be functioning well enough to tolerate the work of breathing. "We don't want to risk having to put him back on because we discontinued mechanical ventilaton too early. It wouldn't do his lungs any good." Danny's doctor explained in a gentle and calming voice.

A poignant pause.

No one said anything.

The only present sounds and noises were coming from the various machines in Danny's room.

"What test do you want to do to make sure it is safe to remove the tube?" Kono motioned towards Danny. Despite the good news they had received she was still not handling this well.

"The test we-" He motioned toward the respiratory therapist standing next to him.

"We want to conduct a spontaneous breathing trial, lasting thirty minutes or longer to assess Danny's clinical response during that time. Should Danny be showing any worsening physiological parameters such as tachycardia, tachypnea, hypertension, agitation, or anxiety, or a deterioration in gas exchange or ventilatory parameters, we would declare the trial as failed and leave him on the ventilator with increased vent settings to stabilise his condition before we attempt another SBT."

The respiratory therapist nodded in agreement.

"I will have to ask you to step out."

Much to the doctor's surprise, the detective's close friends listened and scrambled out of the room without questioning the 'why's' and 'how's', which wasn't that surprising considering he had explained what would and also what could happen before, making his job a bit easier. They had decided that it was a good time to perform a spontaneous breathing trial to see whether or not the detective was able to hold his own when it comes to breathing.

After a thirty-minute spontaneous breathing trial in which the physician had Danny breathe little to no inspiratory PS, using 5 cmH20 pressure support while closely watching Danny in case there is any respiratory insufficiency, the doctor and the respiratory therapist deemed Danny's breathing stable enough to wean him off mechanical ventilation.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

When Danny first regained consciousness, sounds returned first.

They sounded hushed, subdued.

Danny tried opening his eyes as brightness hit them so intensively that Danny immediately squeezed them shut again to block out the overhead light. He heard some distinct voices in the room, talking, presumably about him.

As he lifted his hand a bit he could feel the pull the IV line.

So, a hospital. What had happened this time, Danny wondered briefly.

 _Did Steve get me shot again?_

Footsteps neared his bed, suddenly a hand rested on his right shoulder.

"Detective Williams?"

The voice questioned, in a gentle tone yet quite persistent.

 _Go away_ , Danny thought, _just wanna sleep._

"Detective Williams, can you hear me?"

The voice, probably a doctor or a nurse which did make sense considering the circumstances, returned, it was annoyingly persistent, and Danny realized the voice and the person that voice belonged to was not going to go away just because he wanted to sleep instead of answering questions.

The fogginess clouding his brain made it difficult to form a clear thought when the voice penetrated his brain.

"If you can I need you to wake up for me."

A grumbling sound left Danny's lips as he tried prying his eyes open.

His eye lids just felt so heavy.

"Squeeze my hand." He could do that, couldn't he? Danny felt the hand move from his shoulder to his hand. With an effort, the detective willed his hand to move and sure enough he managed to give a weak squeeze which apparently satisfied the doctor.

"That's good, detective." The voice said.

Not long after, something was pushed into his IV and it dragged him back under, making him sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

When Danny first regained consciousness, sounds returned first.

The voices sounded hushed, subdued.

With Danny's return to consciousness, the pain becomes increasingly more apparent too, with each passing second, and the pain persisted.

Danny could feel his chest hurting and it is hard to figure out what the reason was for that.

The only ever-present thing was the way every part hurt in some way.

 _Something_ must have happened, something must have gone way sideways for him to be hurting like this. Danny tried opening his eyes as brightness hit them so intensively that Danny immediately squeezed them shut again to block out the overhead light that threatened to split his brain in half. No, shoving his eyes open to look at the dimly lit ceiling, it was not worth it as trying that would only make the headache worse which he wanted to avoid.

The beeping coming from the cardiac monitor behind the hospital bed was regular.

Despite the blurred haze of white surroundings, Danny vaguely heard some distinct voices in the room, talking, presumably about him.

Danny lifted his hand a bit and he could feel the pull the intravenous line.

A hospital.

What had happened this time, Danny queried briefly, gaping at the unfamiliar environment.

 _Did Steve get me shot again?_

Footsteps neared his bed, suddenly a hand rested on his right shoulder, followed by someone speaking to him, through a thick haze of whiteness protruding on his vision. Danny tried to clear his vision, blinking heavily. "Detective Williams?" The voice questioned, in a gentle tone yet quite persistent.

Go away, Danny thought, just wanna sleep.

"Detective Williams, can you hear me?"

The voice, probably a doctor or a nurse which did make sense considering the circumstances, returned, was annoyingly persistent and just would not go away and did not seem content at the little reaction from Danny. After some further prodding, some back and forth between the medical professionals talking about his clinical state, Danny realized the voice and the person that voice belonged to was not going to go away just because he wanted to sleep instead of answering questions.

The fogginess clouding his brain made it difficult to form a clear thought when the voice penetrated his brain.

"If you can I need you to wake up for me."

A grumbling sound left Danny's lips as he tried prying his eyes open.

His eyelids just felt so heavy.

"Squeeze my hand."

He could do that, couldn't he? Danny felt the hand move from his shoulder to his hand. With a tremendous effort, the blonde detective willed his hand to move and sure enough, he managed to give a weak squeeze which satisfied the physician.

"That's good, detective." The voice said.

Not long after, something was pushed into his IV and it dragged him back under, making him sleep.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 4, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 1700 Hours**_

Chin and Kono waited anxiously in the waiting room across the ICU's double doors separating the intensive care unit from the area outside.

Chin watched the doors with an unreadable face.

Meanwhile, Kono continued pacing up and down the hospital's hallways, obviously very concerned.

"He's coming." Chin suddenly said, and instantaneously got up as he watched Danny's treating physician walking towards the cousins.

Kono threw a nervous glance at her cousin as he took her hand, a tiny hint of a smile could be seen, directed at Chin which he reciprocated by squeezing her hand.

"How's Danny doing?"

Kono immediately asked that question with blatant, barely disguised concern in her voice.

The response came quickly.

It was good news too, finally an update the team wanted to hear.

"We have removed the breathing tube. As of now, the detective is breathing on his own." He explained to them. "We will watch him very closely for any, especially respiratory, complications. To protect his airway and support his breathing, we have switched him to non-invasive ventilation to help his lungs to assist in the correction of hypoxemia as well as hypercapnia and also to avoid reintubation. This has been proven effective in patients who have undergone early intubation."

Kono inhaled and exhaled shakily.

"The tube is gone?" She questioned, in a low tone.

Danny's doctor reciprocated that question with a straightforward nod. "Yeah, it is, we removed the endotracheal tube. Danny now has a face mask providing him with supplementary oxygen. The application of mechanical ventilatory support happens through a face mask, this supports his respiratory function in place of endotracheal intubation."

Unsure and somewhat apprehensive, Kono glanced over to Danny's room in intensive care.

"You can go in, see him for a few minutes. After that I'd like him to rest." "Coz, you coming?" Chin glanced to his cousin, as he was halfway to Danny's room. "I need to call Rachel, to let her know." So that Grace knows... Chin looked at his cousin. "Give him-" He nodded towards Danny's bed. "-some time." Kono responded with a nod, as she figured out why Chin wanted to wait with telling Rachel and by extension, Grace about Danny's improved state.

Kono remembered she to call Rachel.

She'd seen Danny, yet the blonde detective had been asleep for most of time.

But the endotracheal tube was gone, as was the vent. "Chin," She put a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "I'm gonna make that call to Rachel, let me know if anything changes." Chin gave a warm, comforting smile in response to the request. Kono made her way outside but stayed on the hospital premises. She looked for a private spot to make the call to Rachel. The sun shining down on her. She had promised to give her regular updates on both Danny's and Steve's condition.

At least it was good news.

Upon ringing once, Rachel Edwards answered her phone.

"This is Rachel Edwards?"

Grace's mom said that in her British accent that came out stronger when she was worried, like right now. "It is Kono calling, Rachel," Kono replied, the phone pressed to her ear. A short pause on the other end before Rachel questioned somewhat impatient and with a slight undertone of concern.

"I presume you are calling because you have an update on Danny's condition?"

Holding her breath, the mother of Danny's children held breath.

Despite the divorce and all that's happened after that she still cared about Danny, and not just for the children's sakes. "As a matter of fact, I have. You need to hear that. But don't worry, it is good." The Hawaiian woman replied instantly as a gush of wind blowing through her hair.

The smile on Kono's face got wider even though Rachel could not see that.

Kono was so damn glad that Danny had gotten through the night without any problems, and was comfortable and able to maintain his airway and breathe.

Which was not a matter of course!

Not to mention that the pulmonary edema is resolving at a good rate. "Danny's condition improved markedly, Rachel. He's no longer on the ventilator." Kono told her and promptly heard the woman let out a chuckle in obvious relief upon hearing that Danny was now breathing on his own, something he hadn't done after he'd gone into resp arrest in the emergency department forcing the physicians to intubate and connect him to a mechanical vent to tide him over.

"Oh, Kono, you don't know how glad I am to hear this."

Rachel inhaled before going on, with relief in her voice.

"Charlie and Grace, in particular, will be elated to hear that." She mused, releasing a breath.

"I can imagine, we are so happy too."

Kono had implicitly phoned Rachel Edwards to talk to her the latest update on Danny's condition. She had stayed at the hospital's premises and had only taken a short walk outside when she was on the phone with Rachel. After the phone call to Danny's ex, she wandered back inside, thinking about whether she should return to her bedside vigil at Danny's side.

"Hey, Kono."

Out of nowhere a voice she instantly recognized reached her ears. _Lou._ "Lou?" She responded in utter surprise as she saw her colleague and friend walking toward her, looking stressed out.

"How are our boys?"

Lou Grover asked, worry for Danny and Steve front and center, when he reached Kono, a frown creases his forehead.

Intentionally avoiding to look Lou in the face, Kono glanced to the side. "Danny's doing better, his doc removed the tube earlier today and so far, there are no problems. Steve's condition hasn't changed. McGarrett's still on that machine."

Kono shook her head, still shocked about that.

"ECMO."

Lou supplied the medical abbreviation in a soft tone. "Huh?" Kono turned her head to him. "Never mind. The main thing is that William's off the vent." Lou Grover answered seconds later in response to Kono's confused reply, as he knows Kono's thoughts are likely to be all over the place at this point and time.

"Anyways, did the name get you any new leads?"

On who's behind this?!

Lou cleared his throat.

"At least we got the name of the bar where our suspect met the one giving him the job." Lou told her.

"Joe's gonna check out that bar, as far as he's told me."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 4, Rachel Edwards' Residence, 1800 Hours**_

Upon hanging up the phone, Rachel let out a relieved sigh.

"Mom?" Footsteps behind her, she did not need to turn around to know that it was Grace. "Was that Kono?" She demanded, as she leaned against the counter, waiting for a response. "This call was about Danno, wasn't it?"

Grace _just_ knew that.

"It was, sweetie." Rachel responded.

Trying to read her face Grace stared at her, unable to ask what she wanted to know, fearing she might not like the answer because Danny had taken a turn for the worse.

"He's doing better, Grace." Rachel finally replied.

"Kono said they removed they removed the breathing tube."

Grace's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Danno can breathe on his own again?" Grace Williams questioned, nervous, unsure.

Hope could be heard in her voice.

Rachel nodded.

"This is good news, Grace. He's improving." Rachel tried to be assuring.

With that, Grace threw herself at her mom, longing for a hug and some comfort. She hadn't really expected good news at this point, with shivery and unsteady voice Grace responded to Rachel. "He's doing better? Really?" Grace didn't dare believe it in case something would happen. "He's probably still in intensive care, though?" She mumbled into Rachel's shoulder.

"He is. But he's improving." Rachel told her again, hugging her tightly.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 5, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 1015 Hours**_

Danny slowly drifted towards consciousness, fighting the sedation.

But a mix of medication, sedation, and exhaustion pulled him back under and he did not fight against it. A nurse quietly entered the room, and quietly moved in to check Danny's vitals, then the parameters on the various monitors standing around the bed.

"How is Danny doing?" Kono dared to ask the nurse, Danny's hand still in hers.

Danny's hands were cold, something Kono wasn't used to.

The low beeping of the cardiac monitor had long faded into the background and Kono now felt like she had gotten used to the sound it made.

Chin had gone home to change into a new set of clothes.

Kono had stayed.

"Pulse oxygen looks good, Danny's got an oxygen saturation of ninety-six percent with non-invasive ventilation. His blood pressure however is still a bit low. Overall Danny's doing as good as he can be." She told Kono as soon she finished with measuring his blood pressure, the measuring device also displayed Danny's pulse oxygenation and the pulse rate.

She could feel the anxiety radiating off the young woman.

The nurse tossed Kono a reassuring smile.

Kono smiled back even though she did not at all feel that confident about Danny improving.

There is always another shoe that drops.

It sure felt like that.

But just maybe, Danny caught a break this time and the road would be less rocky and steep now, figuratively speaking.

Kono sure hoped that, for Danny.

The nurse kept true to her word and soon after, the doctor entered his patient's room in the intensive care unit. The nurse who had told the doctor to come and Danny's primary physician had a short, quiet conversation about how the patient was doing and if there were any tests to be done today.

"Let's see if Danny can wake up for us." The doctor said, upon walking into the cubicle.

The physician saw that Danny was deeply asleep, a glance at the cardiac monitor displayed a normal sinus rhythm, much to the physician's content, then he leaned over Danny, who subconsciously nestled deeper into the pillows. "Detective Williams, can you wake up for me?" Danny's primary physician questioned in a loud voice, to try and catch Danny's attention and get him to respond to the insistent prodding. Danny moved slightly but otherwise didn't give any indication that he had heard the doctor talking to him.

After another nudge, he told Kono to give it a try.

"Danny may respond better to your voices." Major Richardson said as an explanation.

Kono moved forwards, placed both hands on the bedrail.

"Danny, you need to wake up now." Kono coaxed in a hushed tone.

Nothing.

Kono leaned forward, and tried again, this time a bit louder.

In response, Danny's eyes fluttered a bit.

"I think Danny responds to my voice," Kono stated, astonishment clear in her voice and a slight trace of a grin on her face as she glanced at Danny's pale face.

The oxygen mask was still on his face to support Danny's breathing and to prevent reintubation due to worsening vital signs as this would increase the risk of complications due to mechanical ventilation. "Please keep talking to the patient, Officer Kalakaua." Danny's primary physician encouraged her from behind as the attending closely observed the vital parameters on the many monitors and perfusor pumps connected to the patient who seemed smaller than usual beneath the covers, to assure sure his vital parameters are in the range they should be in.

However, maybe they will be able to remove some of the perfusor pumps soonish if Danny continues to improve as he had in the last hours because medications could be discontinued. The continuous, monotone beeping of the cardiac monitor increased slightly.

After seeing a normal yet slightly accelerating sinus rhythm on the monitor he nodded satisfied.

"He's responding to your voice."

After another few tries, Danny seemed to have woken up.

Drowsily, Danny stared at them, his eyes only half open as he blearily gazed at her.

At first, there was some confusion in Danny's eyes but then he realized that he was in the hospital, probably in intensive care, judging from the looks of his surroundings, as he blearily stared at the plethora of medical devices around his bed.

"There you are," Kono said with a smile as she stepped back to let the doctor check on Danny.

"K'no?"

Danny tilted his head to the side, seeing the doctor standing there. "Wha's goin' on?" He mumbled.

"I am going to listen to your chest, okay?" The doctor said in a friendly, reassuring tone.

Danny's primary physician put the pre-warmed stethoscope on the blonde man's chest and listened to heart and lung sounds. Danny blinked and the blurriness hovering around the edges of his vision slowly but steadily dissipated as a faint cough left Danny's dry throat. Out of a sudden, he remembered the ride in the helicopter transporting them to the hospital, the Coast Guard rescuing him and Steve from the water. It had been close, very close.

Him _and_ Steve?! Where is _he_ , anyway?

 _Steve_?!

 _Steve_ , Danny wondered, _why isn't he here?_

"St've?" Danny's eyes flickered around wildly as memories rushed into his mind, overriding any sense or regard for his own health.

But that was the last thing on Danny's mind as his he looked around, for Steve.

Why wasn't he here? Had he been injured too?

Danny knew he should remember but he can't recall any of what happened, it was like it had been deleted from his memory. Because Danny would bet on his life that Steve would be here if he could, he has always done that when Danny had gotten hurt before, regardless of whether it had been on the job or due to some other reason. There is nothing that could keep his strong-headed, loyal to a fault, sometimes Neanderthal-like partner and best friend, his brother, away from his bedside if Danny had been hurt as he would insist on staying.

The mere fact that Steve was not here told him that something was very wrong. With Steve.

He might even be dead.

Out of a sudden, the brutal memories of what happened flooded back in, allowing Danny to figure where he was and why and most important and at the same, the most devastating of all, why Steve was not here.

Last thing Danny remembered is that the medics were doing.

CPR.

On Steve.

Except Danny had no recollection of whether the medics had been able to establish a perfusing rhythm or if they had failed.

A pain-filled and stifled gasp escaped Danny's throat as the memories returned making him shudder in response, crashing into him like a freight train.

He squirmed, attempting to block out the memories rushing in, as painful as they were.

A freight train no one would be able to stop as it rapidly transformed into a runaway train heading straight for his heart. Concurrently, his eyes widened in panic as the injured detective realized that Steve was not here.

Instantaneously, the heart rate shot up significantly.

What that meant, when the last memory he had of what happened, was the medics working on him on the helicopter that had rescued them.

 _Them_.

"St've."

Danny gasped out.

"I-" Danny's breaths came out fast and unsteady.

"He's panicking." The doctor said alarmed, glancing at the cardiac monitor.

In a quiet and pensive tone, he asked the nurse to draw up a sedative.

In case they are unable to calm him down and keep him from injuring himself further, which is something they want to avoid at all costs. Kono stepped forward, she could not take the absolute panic in Danny's eyes as he realized that Steve wasn't here.

They should have known this could happen.

Kono put a hand on Danny's forehead.

"Danny, look at me." She urged him with concern in her voice.

Danny felt his heart racing in his chest, pumping adrenaline through his body. His eyes flickered wildly as he searched for the voice speaking to him.

"I am here, Danny. I need you to look at me."

When Danny's eyes found hers, Kono smiled slightly.

However, the pained look in Danny's eyes tugged at Kono's heart, momentarily Kono felt her breath catching inside her throat, she had to swallow the knot in her throat she felt the abrupt onslaught of a wide variety of emotions. Kono wished she could wipe the devastated facial expression from Danny's face. But here she was, unable to do that.

Only Steve would be able to manage that as he is the one Danny needs right now.

"That's good, Danny. Calm, steady breaths, Danny."

Kono found herself saying those words in an attempt to give a sense of reassurance to Danny by being there, just letting him know he isn't alone in this.

"Steve?"

Danny croaked out his best friend's name, stubborn and bull-headed as he was, not letting go until he had an answer.

Kono and he guessed Chin was there as well, yet both hesitated to answer, as did the physician, even though he probably knew and at least could make an assumption on what his patient ached to know.

 _Needed_ to know.

Discerning the all too glaring hesitation to provide information on Steve's state only confirmed his fears.

Either his partner and best friend, his brother, was dead or very close to being that, something Danny doesn't even want to imagine. Feeling his strength waning, Danny opened his eyes again, in a strained voice he reiterated Steve's name, hoping anyone would tell him whether or not Steve is alive. Kono took a deep breath before releasing the air again. "Steve's alive, Danny. He's being cared for." Kono offered assurance.

But in all honesty, she did not feel at all confident about Steve's odds of surviving.

" 's 'live?"

Danny felt his eyelids drooping again but forced himself to stay vigilant, at least until hearing Kono's rejoinder.

It was an imprecise retort, but the cousins had no choice unless they wanted to set back Danny's recovery by telling him what Steve's condition was really like.

Kono swallowed thickly, she exchanged a look with Chin before answering Danny's question.

This was hard, but the main thing was keeping Danny calm.

Danny's primary physician lingered in the background, making sure the parameters on the monitors monitoring Danny's vitals were in an admissible range.

"Steve is alive, Danny."

The former rookie repeated this important, missing information in a calm voice, still leaving her hand on his forehead, seeing that he needed to know about his friend in order to settle down and get some decent rest.

Danny appreciated the gesture, it helped to ground him in the midst of this.

He yearned to tell Kono this, but he felt so damn tired from staying awake mere minutes.

"Sleep now, okay?"

Kono muttered these words in a kind, restful voice.

Danny reckoned she could sense that he was so exhausted to the point of not even caring about anything else but sleep.

Danny succumbed to the tiredness and was now comfortably sleeping.

"He looks definitely better than on the chopper." Kono remarked as she watched the glass doors fall shut, the room quiet. She looked over to her cousin who merely responded with a nod. "He does. Whatever they're doing is working." Chin confirmed her quiet assessment, "Let's go for a walk, Kono." He held out his hand to his cousin. "Let him get some rest." Deciding to follow her cousin, Kono followed him out the room. As they wandered down the hospital's hallways, Chin started a conversation, "I am gonna go home for a change. Their recovery is gonna take weeks, Kono."

Chin shook his head.

"I know that." A spark flared through Kono's eyes.

"What I mean is that we can't be there for Danny and Steve when we are not taking care of ourselves."

Kono regarded him with a look. "Don't you think I am aware of that, coz? I am, believe me. I will take care of my needs, don't worry. Worry about Danny and Steve. They're the ones-" Kono broke off out of a sudden and shook her head as she scurried over the hospital floor.

Chin had a bit of trouble following her as she took him by surprise.

"Kono, wait up," Chin called after her.

His cousin stopped at the double doors, on which was written 'Intensive Care Unit' in bright red letters.

Chin saw the tears pooling in her eyes, tears she had been holding back because she didn't want to put this on the others, and especially Grace. "Come here." Chin Ho said in a soft tone and stretched out his arms as he moved beside to her. In the next moment, Kono was in his arms, holding on for dear life as she started crying softly. Everything was just too much. All the pent-up emotion wanted an outlet and Chin was giving her a shoulder to cry on.

"It's okay, coz. Let it all out." Chin murmured as he ran his hand up and down her back in a comforting motion.

The medical personnel walking past them paid little to no attention to them, they were probably used to crying family members in the hallways. It was the intensive care unit, after all, a unit full of critically ill patients. About forty minutes later, Chin had gone home to shower and put on a fresh set of clothes. His cousin took a deep breath as she exited the hospital, for a second she closed her eyes and breathed in the oxygen, the fresh, Hawaiian air she relished so much. This was one of many reasons she loves these islands with her heart.

She'd be back in the morning.

When she had sat down in the lobby area, she crossed paths with Steve's cardiac surgeon, Dr. Kalani, and his colleagues who did not notice her there, as he and his colleagues, obviously discussing something dire, hurried past the lost figure in the hospital's lobby in fast strides and then, the group of doctors subsequently disappeared into the elevator only accessible via key card as it stops on the surgical ward and intensive care unit, units that are limited access to visitors.

Eventually, she decided to take Chin's advice by heart and listen and go home, to eat, take a shower and catch up on sleep.

A decision she soon learned she wouldn't regret.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 6, Cardiac**_ _**Intensive Care Unit, Nurses' Station, 0900 Hours**_

Kono's alarm clock roused her early.

Still half asleep, the Hawaiian woman sat up in bed, the time stared right back at her. _7:30_.

Kono let out a suppressed yawn.

"Kono?" Adam questioned, lifting his head from the pillow. "Yeah, I gotta get up, Adam." Kono gave him a quick kiss before sitting up and stretching arms out. "You're gonna go to the hospital, right?" Adam questioned, also having been woken up by the alarm. "Yeah," Kono replied with a soft sigh. "How's Danny? Steve?" Kono gazed up. "Danny's improving. He no longer needs the breathing tube, Steve's condition hasn't changed." Kono released a breath as she felt Adam's eyes on her.

A tentative grin crossed Adam's face.

"At least, Danny's doing a bit better." He said, pulling Kono into a hug. "If you need anything, anything at all, I'm here."

He pressed another kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm here." He repeated.

"I know. Thanks. I really appreciate it. But I do need to get up, I want to take a shower before heading to Tripler." Then Kono was forced to push away the thoughts of returning to sleep to escape from the harsh, unforgiving reality. But sadly, and most certainly was not a viable option in this case. "You do that." Adam watched her get up, walk into the hallway. Then he also got up and headed for the kitchen to fix a quick but healthy meal for Kono, knowing she has a long and exhausting day ahead of her. Still more asleep than awake, Kono trudged into the master bath and got ready.

Upon walking into the kitchen, she found Adam cutting pineapple and mango for her.

"Sit, Kono." He motioned to the kitchen chairs.

"I'm making breakfast."

"I see," Kono grabbed one of the mango pieces, "I need to get going soon."

"The hospital's not gonna walk away. And I promised Chin I would look after you." Adam remembered the conversation he had with his wife's cousin. He'd been worried, and rightfully so.

Kono huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that, Kono. I'm doing this for my wife whom I love very much. That's all." He gave her a smile. "Pancakes are ready." Kono breathed out, "Fine, I'll take one. But then I'm off to the hospital." A quick glance at the clock on the wall told her it was eight already. "Here you go." After eating one, Kono had to admit that Adam's pancakes were indeed delicious, especially with the fruits. Before leaving Kono gave Adam a grateful hug and a kiss, deeply grateful for his support throughout this messed up situation, if you could call it that. No, Kono decided right then and there, this messed up nightmare.

That, hopefully, have a happy ending.

Early in the morning, Kono returned to the hospital to check on both Danny and Steve.

Much to her surprise, the traffic hadn't been as bad as Kono expected.

Here on this island, traffic's sometimes resembles something of a nightmare.

But not today. After having eaten a nutritious breakfast she headed to the hospital. Chin would come later in the day as he was at headquarters, see how the case and the ongoing investigation progresses.

After she'd been granted access to the intensive care unit she walked over to Danny's room in the intensive care unit only to find his room empty, all the machinery shut off, nothing. For a minute she just gaped at the empty room. Where the heck is Danny? Did something happen in the few minutes she'd been away? Kono felt her skip one or two beats as she turned around on a whim, fear her primary emotion, as she made her way to the nurses' station.

"Where's Detective Williams?" She questioned flat out.

The nurse on 'office' duty gazed up.

"Wait a second," She told the nervous woman, "Detective Williams, you say?" Kono responded with a brisk nod. "Where is he?" Kono stumbled over the words, in a haste. "He's no longer a patient on our unit. He's been moved to cardiac intermediate care unit." She informed her, a frown creasing on her forehead.

Instant relief was visible on Konos face as she processed the news.

Danny had now been moved to the intermediate care unit.

Not dead.

Just another unit. No longer intensive care, Kono thought. This is good. Step-down is good news for Danny.

 _Progress_ and that very much so.

"Officer Kalakaua," She heard a voice say her name.

When she turned around she looked at Danny's primary physician.

"Is it true?" Kono softly questioned, biting on her lip, contemplating what she'd been told.

"That Danny's been moved to cardiac intermediate care?" His eyes twinkled as he continued, "Yeah, his condition is satisfactory enough for a transfer to a cardiac intermediate care unit on which he'll be monitored closely too, via something we refer to as telemetry. His condition has improved dramatically during the night which is why we transferred him. He's improving which is what we want to see."

Kono smiled at Danny's doctor.

"So Danny's on his road to recovery?"

"I believe he is, yeah." That was the doctor's reply.

Hearing that the worst; for Danny at least, was over was a huge relief for Kono.

Hearing those words meant so much to her. Danny would live.

And, she, Kono, would be able to breathe a little easier. She promptly thanked him for everything he had done for Danny. After the doctor left, Kono pulled out her phone and sent quick messages to Chin, Lou, and Jerry, thereby updating them on Danny's condition that had improved markedly since his admission.

Hearing that the worst; for Danny at least, was over was a huge relief for Kono.

Hearing those words meant so much to her. Danny would _live._ And, she, _Kono_ , would be able to breath a little easier.

She promptly thanked him for everything he had done for Danny.

After the doctor left, Kono pulled out her phone and sent quick messages to Chin, Lou, and Jerry, thereby updating them on Danny's condition that had improved markedly since his admission.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 6, Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit, 1100 Hours**_

Danny's doctor pulled out a stethoscope to listen to Danny's lungs, moving the stethoscope to different spots on Danny's chest to listen to his patient's heart and lung sounds. He had started morning rounds, Danny being his first patient. Danny had been up since seven-something, that was around the time at which he had been woken up by the nurse dispensing the morning meds, a tad too early for Danny's taste as he isn't a morning person. Danny had asked the nurse whether he could go see Steve but had been referred to his physician.

Because he needed to sign off on it.

"Can I see Steve?" Danny begged as he glanced at his doctor, tempted to remove the face mask from his face. Danny pondered when he'd be able to get rid of that mask because despite helping it was also annoying, not that he complained. It was six days since Steve and Danny had been found in the ocean.

The physician glanced up.

Pursuing his lips apologetically, he responded in a flat voice.

"Not yet, I am afraid it is too early for you to be up and out of bed, detective. You were on a ventilator not too long ago. Your lungs improved enough for me to discontinue the non-invasive ventilation and switch it with a normal nasal cannula." The doctor wasn't budging on that matter much to Danny's disappointment. The nurse in the room prepared for the switch and screwed in the 250 ml container containing sterile water used by the oxygen cannula into the oxygen outlet.

"But I feel fine now." Danny argued back adamantly, obdurate and not giving up.

Danny's hands were twitching nervously and his feistiness coming through.

"Do I really need this?" The blonde detective motioned to the nasal cannula, then to the telemetry device from which five wires and electrodes in red, yellow, green, black and white have been placed on his chest as well as the finger clip that monitors oxygen levels in the blood.

Kono suppressed a small giggle.

Danny regarded her with a glance, telling her to stop.

This monitoring device and its electrodes had been connected immediately upon arrival in cardiac intermediate care after the intensive care nurse accompanying the transport had handed over care to intermediate care nurses. The huge cardiac monitor had been shut off and replaced by the tinier telemetry device.

The physician nodded, resolute.

"You do, detective."

The blonde detective could feel his primary physician suppress a sigh listening to his repeated questioning.

"Detective Williams, you may feel good at this moment but you are still under close observation, meaning you are still connected to the telemetry device. That device only relays your rhythm to the central patient monitoring system at the nurses' station. If you leave the IMC unit your heart rhythm won't be monitored. So that's one reason."

Danny had fallen silent throughout the explanation, now merely eyeing the device.

The screen had turned black now.

Before, when the physician had put in the alarm management settings based on clinical indications it had shown stuff, like heart rate, the rhythm and Danny's case, also pulse oxygen. When the doctor addressed Danny once again, he turned his attention to the man, "The second being, your lungs still need oxygen, that's why you have the nasal cannula." Major Richardson retorted in a patient manner to convince Danny of the purpose that these wires and electrodes, as well as the supplemental oxygen, have and that they aren't there for show. Danny creased his nose, feeling the cannula in his nose, as he feels the steady gush of supplemental oxygen flow into his nose.

"I know Steve isn't doing so well. I know _that_."

"I knew that on the helo-"

Danny broke off when the need for more oxygen made itself known, he started breathing heavily and somewhat rapidly.

Instantaneously, the doctor grew more concerned.

"Try and slow down down your breathing for me, detective."

His mind suddenly flashed back to their rescue.

Danny remembered, all of it.

Danny wished he could erase the painful memories he has of that day from his memory. But he couldn't, and now those daunting memories made everything so much harder.

"Detective Williams."

He heard someone calling his name.

Out of nowhere, there was a grounding touch on his arm.

As Danny blinked away the blurriness clouding his vision he could see Chin's calming presence right beside to him, Kono hovering close by. "Danny, you are alright. Just slow down your breathing." Danny heard the doctor's voice again.

His breathing had semi-normalized again, despite that Kono could not keep her eyes off Danny.

This had scared her.

"It's possible he remembered what had happened to-"

" 'm fine now," Danny mumbled through closed eyes.

"I just need to see Steve."

Danny kept on insisting. "I can't let you do that just now. You're still under observation, there's still a small amount of fluid in your lungs. But the good thing is that you're off the ventilator and able to breathe on your own." Danny's doctor elaborated, patiently. "Doc?" Danny wearily opened his eyes, his voice quiet, defeated, miserable that he couldn't visit his best friend.

But he also knew his limitations and that he was in no way walking around.

"Can you check on Steve?"

Danny gazed at him, eyes half-mast but he didn't want to fall asleep before having inquired about Steve's condition which undoubtedly is worse than his own, because he's a trouble magnet and always seems to find trouble. Like he did on that fishing trip that had turned to pure hell. But Danny didn't blame him for that. Sure, maybe checking the weather report would have changed what happened, maybe not.

There's no way of knowing.

Not to mention, if there was foul play involved they'd have been in trouble regardless of the weather.

"I'll talk to his doctor. In the meantime, I need you to try and get some shuteye, detective." "My daughter," Danny mumbled, voice growing quieter at the end.

Tears glistened in Kono's eyes at hearing the pain in Danny's voice.

His eyes fixated on the doctor as he remained stubbornly awake.

I am fairly sure that's gonna be hard knowing about Steve and not being allowed to see him, Chin thought as the older man watched the doctor exit Danny's hospital room through the double glass doors before turning his attention back to Danny who had his eyes closed to block out his surroundings.

"Brah." He started in an attempt to heighten Danny's spirits.

"Chin, I know what you're going to say, that Steve's strong, and so on but this time he might not be." Danny breathed out, a shiver noticeable in his voice.

Not after what he's been through.

Chin suppressed a sigh, he was grateful for his cousin's presence. "Go back to sleep, Danny. We will be here when you wake up." Kono's voice was soft and caring as she moved her thumb up and down his arm in a calming, soothing motion.

Without wanting to, Danny's eyes grew heavier and heavier.

Without warning Danny felt that his body was slowly dragging him under again, the medications and the exhaustion being responsible for his tiredness. Not long after that, his eyes slipped closed and Danny's breaths evened out almost simultaneously. Chin and Kono shared a glance, resuming their vigil over Danny, constantly thinking about their other 'ohana, Steve, about what his condition is like.

After a while, Kono got up from the chair she had sat in, she turned to Chin who looked at her questioningly.

"I'll go check on Steve, maybe they'll have an update."

Kono announced that as she wandered over to the glass doors, feeling restless and she wants the escape for just a minute, from the colorlessness of the room, the beeping machines.

It felt like it was gradually suffocating her.

Chin simply nodded as he watched Kono disappear from the room. "My daughter," Danny mumbled, half-conscious, eyes not quite focusing. "Danny?" Chin asked as he abandoned his seat, leaning over Danny. His eyes were moving rapidly as they tried to focus on anything. Finally, after some time, they settled on Chin's face.

" Ch'n?"

Danny mumbled, his eyes blinking tiredly.

"I'm here, Danny." Chin pressed the younger man's hand in silent support.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 6, Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit, 1510 Hours**_

Chin let out an exhausted yawn as he felt increasingly drained and fatigued.

Kono had been here since early morning and he'd arrived about two hours ago, Danny had been napping and resting for most of the time, as he should be, per doctor's orders. Chin glanced over to his cousin who's curled up on the recliner before deciding to get some coffee and stretch his legs for a change. Trying to cause as little noise as somehow possible, Chin got up to leave the hospital room. As the man returned from his coffee run, he found his cousin and Danny still asleep, lost to the world.

But as Chin got back, holding the coffee in his hand, he saw one entering Danny's room.

The suspicious thing being the man about to enter Danny's room is not a medical professional and therefore, most definitely is not on the approved list of people, including medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, allowed to see Danny and Steve. This precautionary measure is necessary as the person behind this hadn't been found yet and might try to finish _unfinished_ business. The policy was in place to make sure whoever is behind this won't get to Steve and Danny, and can't attempt hurting them again. Meanwhile, the investigators on this high-profile case continue making inroads into the mess, the objective being finding the mastermind who did this to their teammates.

Chin's instincts told him that Danny and by extension also his cousin were in trouble.

Quickly discarding his coffee he dashed over to Danny's room, his hand on the gun, ready and primed to use it should the situation call for the use of his weapon, to save his friends' lives.


	14. Chapter 14

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

 ** _Day 6, Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit, 1510 Hours_**

Chin let out an exhausted yawn as he felt increasingly drained and fatigued.

He and Kono had been here since early morning, Danny had been napping and resting for most of the time, as he should be, per doctor's orders.

Chin glanced over to his cousin who's curled up on the recliner before deciding to get some coffee and stretch his legs for a change. Trying to cause as little noise as somehow possible, Chin got up to leave the hospital room. As the man returned from his coffee run, he found his cousin and Danny still asleep, lost to the world.

But as Chin got back, holding the coffee in his hand, he saw one entering Danny's hospital room.

The blinds were open, to let light into the room to make it seem friendlier.

The suspicious thing being the man about to enter Danny's room is not a medical professional and therefore, most definitely is not on the approved list of people, including medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, allowed to see Danny and Steve. This measure is necessary as the person behind this hadn't been found yet and might try to eliminate the 'targets' in the hospital. So the policy was in place to make sure whoever is behind this won't get to Steve and Danny, and can't attempt hurting them again. Meanwhile, the investigators on this high-profile case continue making inroads into the mess, the objective being finding the mastermind who did this to their teammates.

Chin's instincts told him that Danny and by extension also his cousin were in trouble.

Quickly discarding his coffee he rushed over to Danny's room, his hand on the gun, ready and primed to use it should the situation call for the use of his weapon, to save his friends' lives.

Kono was rudely roused when she heard someone enter the room. She blinked a couple of times.

Then her eyes fell onto the man maliciously staring down at the napping detective in the hospital bed and instantaneously her heart rate picked up.

"Wakey, wakey, copper."

The man shook Danny's shoulder ruggedly. "We have some unfinished business left."

It took some time for Danny to come around and find his way back to consciousness. He was met by a steely gaze of unfriendly, grey eyes staring down at him.

It was painfully obvious that the man was here to hurt him.

Danny's heart started racing as he tried to sit up but was met by a wave of dizziness that interferred with that.

"Poor Williams, can't even sit up, huh?"

The man laughed snidely.

Kono observed the movements carefully.

She is looking for the ideal time to execute the plan she had devised instants earlier.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kono raised her voice, catching the man's attention. He whirled around, obviously taken by surprise by the voice coming from behind him.

"Kono?"

Danny's weak voice ingressed into Kono's ears.

"She can't help you, cop. She'll end up dead if she tries. So you won't do anything stupid now, will you?"

The man let out an eerie laugh laced with malice, making Kono shudder internally. He walked over to Danny's bed and then, he shook the detective's shoulder, making him squirm. Danny hissed in pain as he could feel the painful sensation of the ungentle handling. Kono decided this would be the moment to tackle him, maybe she could do something to help. When he wasn't looking she rushed over, smashing into him.

They both landed on the ground, rolling around.

Kono is trying to knock out the perpetrator.

But with limited success.

The man got up after some well-placed hits leaving Kono breathless on the hospital floor. The man then loomed over Danny, threatening.

The detective attempted to move away from the perceived and identified threat, feeling the pull at his intravenous line. The man, however, only smiled in a way that could only be described as evil, and busied himself with the detective's intravenous line.

He pulled out a vial of some unnamed liquid, Kono's eyes widened.

In fear.

She realized that he was about to inject that into Danny's IV bag through the medication port.

"No, don't. Please don't." Danny felt fear gripping his heart as he locked eyes with Kono, begging her to stop him, stop whatever he's planned on doing to him. Danny tried to push the man's hands away from the IV pole and the bag but his strength was fading faster than he imagined and the man moved away with ease.

Behind the door, Chin's blood boiled as he heard the man threaten Danny and his cousin.

"No, don't. Please don't."

He could hear Kono pleading with the man but it was no use, he wouldn't listen to her frightful pleas.

Danny himself was unable to defend himself, due to his injuries. At this point, Chin's decision to make a forced entry was made, to save Danny and his cousin from the vigilante threatening to harm them. Chin pushed the door open, it hit the wall with a loud bang, causing the man to turn around only to see the gun pointed at him. That did not stop him from injecting the content into the intravenous bag, a evil, perfidious grin spreading across the man's face as he watched the substance entering the bag. "It's been great knowing you, detective. I need to get going now." The armed man hissed at them, the gun continued to be pointed at Chin, and then Kono to stop them from attempting anything endangering his 'mission'.

Dropping the syringe to the floor, followed by a clanging sound, he threw one last glance at Danny's wide eyes, and opening the line wide open before turning around to leave.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 6, Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit, 1520 Hours_**

Immediately, Kono rushed over to Danny's IV line and rolled down the flow regulator, thereby closing off the line, stopping the drug from entering Danny's system.

Hoping she hadn't been too late in doing so.

Danny had been quick in understanding the direness of the situation and the danger he is in.

The danger being the unidentified medication injected into Danny's intravenous line.

"Drop rate has been terminated." Kono relayed to Chin who saw Danny's scared look. The detective then made the impulse decision to rip out his own intravenous line, not wholly trusting the flow regulator at this point, and he let out a sibilant sound in reaction to that action. In the midst of the chaos, one of the nurses hurried into the hospital room and instantly stopping dead in his tracks upon noticing the mess in the room, the blood from Danny's ripped out IV access dripping onto the floor, Chin's and Kono's matching faces of terror.

"You got alarms going off all over the nurses' station." She stated, alarmed by what she's seeing.

She rushed over Danny, checking on him, one of the first things she noted is Danny's elevated pulse. "Get Danny's doctor," Chin responded fast and in a shivering voice.

"Please, he may have been drugged."

The nurse looked up in surprise at the sudden turn of events, this unexpected news causing her to press the red alarm button posthaste, to call for assistance.

She'd already pressed 'green' upon entering the detective's hospital room signaling that there was a nurse present, and pressing 'red' after having pressed the green button means there is an emergency and assistance is required. "We managed to turn down the flow rate of the IV but who knows if some of the drugs reached Danny's bloodstream anyhow," Chin told her, Kono nodding in sync as they observed the nurse checking on Danny, and then promptly deciding that this is indeed a situation that warrants having the detective's doctor paged to check on the patient.

"That's why the IV's been ripped out," The nurse inferred, now piecing together what must have gone down.

Danny let out a tremulous breath and dropped his head back onto the cushion as the adrenaline left his system leaving him shaken and confused as he drifted off, all the excitement had drained him.

The nurse seemed relieved when two more nurses entered the room.

"I need one of you to get Major Richardson. I need gauze swabs." The nurse gave orders to deal with the matter in the most effective manner. Seconds later, a different nurse pressed gauze swabs on the site where the IV access had been, to stop the blood dripping and leaking to the ground.

"Detective Williams, can you tell me how you are feeling?"

Danny opened his eyes.

Danny shrugged wearily in response to the asked questions, his eyes darting around as they tried to settle.

"Not sure. Tired, I guess."

Danny's reply was vague and did not give much information as to how he feels.

One of the nurses grabbed the telemetry device, pressed down on the switch to make the screen light up to see if there's any acute changes in Danny's heart rhythm. The heart rhythm popped up on the screen. So far, it seemed like a normal sinus rhythm but that could change, if some of the drug has made it into Danny's veins, depending on what drug and the dose.

Amidst the chaos, Danny's primary physician came into the hospital room, taking in the frightened faces. "What's happened?" He questioned rapidly as he noticed the shaken up appearances.

"Someone attacked Danny."

Chin's voice was toneless. "He tried to drug him. With what we don't know."

His face was blank.

But there was no doubt that he was concerned.

This is beginning to look more and more like someone is after Steve and Danny. This just proves the presumption. "Someone get me supplies for a blood draw." Without wasting time, the blood had been drawn and the filled vials had been sent to the lab as soon as possible to get results back fast. "Get them to the lab, I wanna know if there's traces of the drug. Have them put a rush on it." The nurse nodded, and hurried down to the laboratory herself to deliver the samples.

Without further ado, he had started to place another intravenous access and ordered another electrocardiogram to be done.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 6, Tripler Army Medical Center, 1530 Hours_**

Kono and Chin had been asked to leave which made them worry in this situation.

Chin reflected that the team should have thought about that ahead, maybe the aforementioned incident that could have gotten Danny killed could have been averted and no one would have gotten to Danny. It was luck that Kono and Chin had been there to react, even though if the man had been able to flee the scene.

Even though Major Richardson had put a rush on the lab results, the results weren't back yet but on a more positive note, Danny hadn't developed any symptoms either. But they were still in the dark about the drug that had been used. To be safe, the syringe used had been sent to the lab as well as there might still be traces of drug for the lab techs to find and analyze. Maybe that would give them a better picture. So they might have caught a break this time. In the meantime, Chin had organized that police officers would be guarding both Danny's hospital room and Steve's to avoid this exact situation.

"Chin." Kono tapped on his shoulder.

"This looks like him." Kono's astute observation caused Chin to look up, Kono continued to have eyes on the man wearing the base cap.

Chin gazed up, looked in the direction Kono pointed out. The man standing there did look a bit like Danny's attacker, only he was wearing a baseball cap.

"Why is he lingering around? Why hasn't he fled the scene?"

That's just stupid.

"Maybe he's waiting for another opportunity to take out Danny and Steve." Chin glanced at Kono. "You mean he will attempt to kill again?"

"We'll stop him," Chin said, resolution in his tone.

"Do you think he recognizes us?"

"Don't know, coz." As soon as the words left Chin's lips, the man's awareness turned to them, vigilant as he watched before his face changed as he recognized the two cops that had interrupted him when he was trying to annihilate Danny to prevent him from talking to the police. When the man perceived that Kono and Chin watching him he appeared more and more uncomfortable, until he fled, just turned and walked away, trying to seem like a normal person.

But this charade did not fool Kono nor Chin.

Both police officers are well-trained, and spotted the suspicious activity immediately and acted accordingly. That wasn't suspicious.

But not in the direction they would have thought.

In the opposite direction, into the heart of the hospital. Not to the nearest escape route and exit.

But to the elevator of all things. Kono watched the guy wander towards the elevator, saw baseball cap man pressing the button for the level on which the cardiac intensive care unit is located.

"He's going after Steve." Kono rushed to that out, in a hectic. The woman pointed to the man, Chin realizing she was correct in that assertion.

Without losing another second both cousins ran after the man.

Chin and Kono were too late, the doors had closed.

"Damn it." Chin cursed loudly. "We take stairs, come on." Taking two steps at once the cousins hurried to the next level, both hoping that they wouldn't be too late.

He's going after Steve.

In his vulnerable position, Steve is surely easy to take out.

All he's gotta do is switch off the vent and that's that then. Not to mention what he could do to the sensitive life-sustaining circuit Steve relies on at the moment. Anything other than careful handling by trained professionals could have devastating consequences. This was a 'scary as shit' prospect. He's failed with eliminating Danny, now he's going after Steve.

That thought kept running through Kono's head.

But Kono and Chin are doing all they can to stop whatever the plan is.

The man got off of the elevator, started walking towards the intensive care unit. Much to Chin's and Kono's horror he punched in the code without any problems and was granted access. F*ck, how the hell did he get the access code? Only the medical staff working on that unit should have that access code. Someone on that unit must be in on the whole mess. They'd investigate that, later, when this mess has been resolved and that perp has been stopped from hurting other people. Chin, closely followed by Kono on his heels, ran after, barely making it before the double door closed with a loud and resounding clang. Shortly before reaching Steve's hospital room in ICU, Kono and Chin caught up with him.

"Hands up."

They chased the suspect to the parking lot, through the hospital but found out that the man knew the area well, better than Chin and Kono do.

A car waited for him, with a running engine.

The man jumped into the passenger seat, urging his accomplice to drive.

Without words Chin and Kono ran over to their car, to chase and catch the man.

"Coz, drive."

Kono told him that in a rushed voice.

Chin pressed his lips together and accelerated his car upon having turned on lights and sirens to signal to other motorists and cyclists to get out of their way, pursuing the dark blue SUV that continues to swerve in and out of traffic with the intention to avoid capture. The driver of that car paid little attention to other cars on the road, only thinking about getting away.

Chin weaved in and out traffic too, of course, mindful of the other cars and pedestrians on the road.

"I'm calling it in. Get HPD to help."

Rushed, Kono pulled out her phone and pressed Duke's number.

Duke Lukela answered after the first ring.

They can set up roadblocks and participate in the hot vehicular chase. "He's not gonna get away after what's he's done," Duke Lukela promised, and true to that both Chin and Kono could soon hear the police cars nearing, with flickering lights and sirens, close. To support them. Lukela cleared his throat, Kono's attention was diverted to the elder Hawaiian she respected so much.

"Kono, my guys are setting up roadblocks now. We'll get 'em."

"That's good."

With a pinched face, Chin followed the other car.

The blue SUV partially rammed into another car causing it to spin in the slightest bit.

Chin let out an angry sound.

"I don't believe that. They're endangering innocent people now." Chin ground out, refocused on the road, after a look in the rear-view mirror Chin saw that a unit had stopped to check on the car's passengers and driver. The next radio message, interrupted by weird disruptive, clacking noises, transmitted via radio by the officer on scene told them that the occupants that had been rammed and pushed aside had been fortunate to get out of this unharmed.

But to make sure the car's occupants are indeed alright, an ambulance has been dispatched to check on them.

Meanwhile, the chase went on.

The blue SUV turned onto Kamehameha Highway and started speeding up even more if that's even attainable.

Before reaching Kamehameha Highway, the car had been speeding on the H-201, the interstate leading to and away from Tripler Army Medical Center.

Determined, Chin pressed on the gas as well, the speedometer indicating how fast they were going at this time- very fast, that is. Kono gripping tightly against the dashboard, quietly hoping that they would not crash the car. That this is a single lane highway makes the chase even more dangerous. One lapse in concentration or misjudgment could prove fatal in such driving conditions. "Careful, Chin," Kono said, her eyes on the road, aware of the innate danger hot pursuits brought with them. In her time with the task force she has seen her share of high-speed car chases, such as this one and they always carry around a certain chased after the SUV, pushing his car's abilities to the limits.

At this moment, they could hear the Chief of Police transmit another radio message, informing them about the roadblocks at the interchange between Kamehameha Highway and Moanalua Freeway.

They were headed for those roadblocks.

"You think they gonna stop?" Kono questioned, as they followed the car, with lights and screaming sirens.

"Probably not."

The suspect in the getaway car didn't slow down, even with the roadblock in sight.

"Chin, what's he doing?" Kono exclaimed, eyes widening.

"He's gonna-"

Chin didn't even finish his sentence before the car, still at full speed crashed into the police cars blocking the main road. At least the officers were standing outside, on the side of the road and not in their cars.

The car was totalled and overturned.

It appears that the force of the crash has been so great that the car landed on its roof, wheels facing upwards. Kono formed a silent 'oh' as Chin stopped the car a few meters in front of the crash scene.

"There's-"

"Not much left of that car?!" Chin supplied as both got out and hurried toward the car, guns drawn as they had no idea what awaited them. There's a chance, however small it might be, that they are still able to shoot. Indeed true. The car resembled a giant blob of scrap metal, complete destruction with pieces of car wreck scattered across both lanes.

"Both hands up!"

Kono and Chin both walked closer, adrenaline rushing through their veins.

"Hands where we can see them!"

In reply the driver shot at them, making Chin and Kono seek cover and then promptly fire back, the sounds of bullets hitting steel. When the hail of bullets suddenly stopped, Chin called out, "Cease fire!", in the hope that the suspects would surrender at least to some extent peacefully. After a few seconds with no reply, a strained voice, coming from the driver's side, replied, seemingly giving up. "Cease fire!" The gun then loosely clattered to the ground.

Chin could see the man's face in the overturned vehicle.

Two suspects, one dead after crash, one on the run. But no answers.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 6, Honolulu Police Department, Medical Examiner's Office, 1550 Hours** _

Chin and Kono entered Max's office in fast strides.

Max looked up when he heard the cousins enter. "Hey Max." Kono greeted the quirky medical examiner. "Kono, Chin." Max glanced at them, "How are they?" Of course, Max had heard about what had happened to Steve and Danny, and why they weren't there. "So far, they're hanging in there." Chin responded to Max's question. "Danny's doing better." He and Kono exchanged glances.

Uncomfortable silence.

"Do you have something for us?" Kono asked not able to take the quiet any longer, her eyes landing on the corpse on the table. Max nodded, "I do, indeed. Follow me." He told them. Usually, their interactions would be more smiley but the circumstances weren't normal at all. This one was personal and Max _knew_ that and acted in an appropriate manner. Minutes later, Max informed them, that, as expected, the COD was the car crash, more specifically due to a aortic disruption caused when the car flipped, Max also told them that's it likely that the perp probably died instantly.

Breathing out deeply, preoccupied with thoughts about Danny and Steve, Chin thanked Max, then asking if there was any other information or leads that might help them get justice.

The medical examiner nodded, excitement filling his face. "In fact, I may have something."

"What is it? An address?"

Max reached for a plastic bag in which the belongings of the dead person on the metal slab were in.

"It seems like a notebook of sorts." He then goes on further, while searching around, after a few passing seconds, Max held a hard-backed black notebook in his hands. Kono's eye brows furrowed, confusion evident on her features. "A notebook, yeah."

"Looks like it, brah." Chin put on gloves before touching the notebook.

"We need to get this over to Charlie Fong, Kono. Maybe he can pull off some prints of the cover." The former rookie nodded.

"Yeah, we may get lucky on that."

"Let's drop that off at the crime lab before heading to HQ."

"I hope you find who did this." Max's final words fell on their ears as they were halfway out the door.

Kono turned around, " _Mahalo_ , Max. You've-"

She paused.

"It's okay, Kono, no need to go on." The usually quirky medical examiner said promptly, compassionate.

Upon leaving Max's office, Chin and Kono decided to make a stop at Tripler before heading to headquarters to continue their investigation. Chin and Kono both wanted to check on Danny, as the worry for their friend has been a constant companion the past few hours, after the whole mess at the hospital happened. "I'll go talk to the doctor." Chin merely said to his cousin, his hand fleetingly touches her arm.

Kono held her breath as she walked over to Danny's hospital room, not knowing what to expect.

The guards positioned in front of the nodded at her, after she flashed her badge at them, unnecessarily.

Of course they knew who she was.

Taking a paced, deep breath she closed her eyes for a second as air entered her lungs, and then exhaled noticeably before knocking and then quietly opening the door.

"Danny?"

Her voice quivered a teeny, tiny bit.

But she would never admit that to anyone. She took stock of her surroundings, and strode over to his bed. Danny was asleep, Kono let out a relieved sigh and dropped into the chair next to the table. Even if something was going on, the central monitor at the nurses' station would have sounded an alarm. Chin walked over to the nurses' station to request that he can speak to Danny's doctor, politely questioning if it was possible to speak with his friend's physician, the nurse looked up glancing at him, before telling him that she'll contact him but that it may take some time before he'd be able to speak with them, depending on case load. Understanding that, Chin nodded in response before making his way over to Danny's room.

He and Kono got comfortable, as much as it was possible in these chairs.

Kono found herself staring at a distant point in the wall, lost in thought, her hand still tightly holding Danny's to let him know they are here, with him. Chin's gaze fell on his friend's face. Much to his surprise, the police lieutenant was met with blue orbs looking straight at him. "Danny's awake," Chin started saying, instantly getting up from the chair he had vacated.

Kono followed his glance.

Sure enough, Chin had been right.

"Hey, guys?" Danny croaked out, his voice hoarse and scratchy.

He blinked a few times to adjust to the light, causing Kono to get up and close the blinds to block some of the sunlight shining into the room.

"Aloha, my friend." Chin said with a contented grin on his face.

"Kono, Chin, it's good to see you guys. Not that I'm not glad to see you guys but don't you guys have to catch one sneaky bad guy?" Danny managed a small smile before continuing to ask further questions. Kono gazed to Chin, for a moment no one said anything.

"You catch 'em? You better catch them before they hurt anyone else." Danny groaned as he moved to sit up, Chin instantly coming to his side to help.

"One of them is in the morgue."

Kono offered an reply to Danny's question, closely observing Danny's reaction to the update on the case.

"The other one got away after crashing the getaway car, following a chase."

"That's a start at least. Steve?"

Danny's gaze grew fearful suddenly as a horrifying thing came to his mind, leaving him worried about his best friend, something other than the man's currently physical condition.

What if the men that had targeted him had done the same to _Steve_?!

He could feel Kono's small hand on his shoulder, then her warm, assuring voice telling him, "He didn't get to Steve, Danny. Understand? The men who tried to-"

"-off me?" Danny interjected in a blunt voice.

Kono rolled her eyes at the blonde detective.

Danny threw her a hint of a grin before growing serious again, his thoughts returning to a certain SEAL. "You sure Steve's-" Chin came over to his bed as well. "He's doing alright, considering the circumstances. But these men didn't get to him." The lieutenant's voice hardened, grew surer at the end.

"They won't get to you or Steve again, we've made sure of that."

"They didn't get to Steve."

Danny breathed out a sigh of relief.

Subconsciously, he'd started fiddling with his IV.

She doesn't mention that this had been their planned course of action, considering they had the key code for opening the intensive care unit's double door separating that unit from the rest of the hospital. Kono flopped down in the somewhat uncomfortable chair, Chin preferred to stand. "Has the doc been by?" Kono wanted to know.

"They've been by, to do some sort of tests."

Danny shrugged.

"I actually feel okay considering. Maybe the drug, whatever it was didn't make it into my system." Danny gazed at Chin.

"How are you guys holding up?".

"I mean, with me and Steve-" Danny stopped upon seeing Kono's expression. It was her cousin who replied to Danny's question. "It's been hard. But we're doing our best. That you're recovering well is what made it a lot better. We wouldn't know what to do without you guys."

"Come here," giving both Chin and Kono a hug.

"Now we just need Super SEAL to get better and return to his annoying, obnoxious self." Danny said, emotion in his voice. He was immensely grateful to the cousins' support and love.

But that was their _'ohana_.

"And guys, next time you come I want a big box of Malasadas." Danny added with a humoured wink.

Kono let out a blubbering laugh.

"Sure, brah. Malasadas."

"And while you're at it, also coco puffs."

Chin rolled his eyes.

Eyes twinkling he responded, "Going a bit overboard there, brah, whatcha say?"

"Nah, had a near death experience. Least you can do is get me some decent food." Chin and Kono simultaneously rolled their eyes at Danny. "Malasadas and coco puffs are pastries, not decent food. But pizza with pineapple on the other hand..."

Danny's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't."

"Loco Moco or a shrimp plate lunch instead, Danny?" Danny huffed and turned away. "Just make sure whatever you decide to bring is without pineapple." After having conversed about the elephant in the room, the friends moved on to other, lighter topics sharing a few laughs now and then, but back in their minds there was always the constant worry about their fearless leader and good friend and in Danny's case, best friend and brother.

At one point their conversation was interrupted by Danny's doctor entering the room.

In an instant all eyes were on him.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 6, Iolani Palace, Honolulu, 1630 Hours_**

"At least nothing of the substance entered Danny's bloodstream."

That was the information Danny's doctor had provided them with. Kono leaned her head against the window. "I just hope we catch these bastards soon."

"We will."

Chin threw her a look.

He couldn't help but feel worried about her. In this moment, his phone started ringing, he tapped the 'receive' button and instantaneously, Lou's voice filled the interior of his car.

"Hey, Lou." Chin said to the man. "You gotta get to the palace, man. We need to show you guys something."

Kono sat upright in her seat.

"You got somewhere?"

"We did."

A pause.

"Just be there soon."

"We are on our way back from the hospital. We should be there in less than five. Just pulling into the parking lot now."

"Good." Then the call disconnected as sudden as it came.

Upon parking the car, Chin and Kono hurried to their workplace, already seeing the group standing around the Smart Table. "You got anything?" Chin questioned, as he saw the rest of their team and Joe standing around the Smart Table staring at some files. Grover turned around. "You bet your ass we do." The big guy promptly went on, explaining: "We got an address off of the notebook the perp had on him. The property is owned by a local."

Chin gazed at the large screen, staring at a picture of a brown-haired man in his forties before turning to the group standing around the computer.

"What's his name? This looks like the man we saw at the hospital."

A frown crossed over his face, clouding his face.

Kono took a closer look at the picture shown on the screen too.

"The one targeting Danny and Steve?"

Chin responded with a nod, walking over to them to get a closer look at the screen.

"It does look like him. Do we have an address?" The young woman demanded, determined and ready to roll.

"We got location off of the DMV database, he lives local, has a driver's license registered here on this rock. "This is a start." Joe White said with an unchanged facial expression, "That means we also have a location." In this moment, his phone rang. "Excuse me, I have to take this." He said answering the call, pacing in Steve's office, for privacy reasons.

Minutes later, Joe returned to the rest.

"That was my contact from Naval Intelligence. He's been able to decode the coordinates from the map. Turns out it wasn't just the location of the exploded ship. It's also coordinates for different dive sites near O'ahu's North Shore."

"Dive sites?"

Chin frowned at that.

"You think this is about one of those dive sites?" Commander Joe White nodded in response, opening the map on the computer. A red blinking dot appeared marking the dive site. "I think so. This dot marks a dive site near Danny and Steve's chartered boat when it sank and there's another one near the ship." Joe was thinking something along the lines of a ship wreck. "I'll start there, looking for answers." With that he turned around, already heading for the glass doors, Chin's voice caused him to turn around and glance back, with a verbal response.

Chin's brows creased in concern.

"That's deep waters. You'd be crazy to dive on your own there, Joe." He remarked conscious of the dangers associated with diving. And this was not recreational diving, this was a job.

"I'm not going to on my own. What makes you think that?" Joe responded in a confused tone. "Commander Wade Gutches will be my dive buddy." he continued, referring to the man, a fellow SEAL who helped with rescuing and extracting Steve from North Korea after being lured there by former CIA agent Jenna Kaye whom they first trusted before she became a traitor in hopes of getting her fiance back, Steve ending up being tortured in the hands of Wo Fat.

"Wade and I will check out those dive sites. Stay safe."

"You too."

Joe White left the Iolani Palace, getting in his truck. Wade already waited for him at the harbor.

He was loading the dive gear and air tanks onto the dive boat. Back at the palace, the team continued the briefing before the raid.

"That's true." Lou replied.

"Location's a huge compound near Kailua Bay."

"Let's go."

The twelve- mile drive from Honolulu to Kailua on the windward coast of O'ahu, the Five-0 taskforce began the raid on the suspect's large house. "We're here."

"Let's set up a perimeter."

The property was right next to Kailua Bay, with a huge garden and an enclosed beach. The waters of beautiful Kailua Bay seemed calm and tranquil in this moment yet the team wasn't focused on anything except the mission at hand. The team cleared all floors and rooms, and eventually ended up back in the living room. "All clear." Lou said, confused and to be honest a bit bummed that there was no one there that could lead them to whoever did this to their friends.

The house itself was clear, however something seemed off about the whole situation.

At the same time, Chin and Kono had gone upstairs to check the bedroom and adjoining suites and rooms. When the team assembled again, they debated whether to search the place for clues or leave it at that. "I didn't find anything of use. The rooms and terrace and pool I searched were empty. Also, dust patterns suggest no one's lived here for a while." Chin told them what he'd observed whilst clearing the house.

"Me too. No trace of anyone."

Lou nodded, agreeing with Kono. "She's right, there nothing in here. Bust was a total loss." Lou shrugged, shouldering his weapon.

Chin nodded.

"You know we had to check it out."

"Let's move out."

Chin made the call as he was the acting head of the taskforce in Steve and Danny's absence. He had no idea that him making that call would save their lives! "I know, Chin. It's just-"

"I know. Let's go." The team leaves through the front door and walked down the path that led back to the street.

Just as they were clear ten meters of the house, the house turned into a flaming hell, an explosion with a loud bang, flames shooting out of the windows, glass bursting due to the blast. Chin, Kono and Lou were thrown to the ground when the explosion hit, just far enough away to not get caught in it. Kono pressed her face into the pavement. When the commotion died down, Kono lifted her head a bit to look around in an attempt to locate her cousin and Lou Grover.

"Chin?" She called out his name.

Smoke from the fiery blaze that was once an expensive property owned by some shady people in Kailua entered her nostrils, and she called out again, this time louder and more forceful.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her cousin respond.

"Kono, you alright?"

Chin sat up, wiping away the dust from his jeans before getting up and rushing over to his cousin.

He kneeled down next to her.

"Careful, Kono, let me help you up. You sure you alright, coz?"

Chin questioned, it was not possible to overlook that the lieutenant was concerned about his younger cousin.

His cousin nodded.

"I'm alright, Chin. I'm just so done with this case." Kono shook her head as she got to her feet. "I'm done seeing us get hurt." His cousin went on, her brown eyes darkening. "Someone is after us. I mean, this-" She motioned to house now in flames. "This had to be someone who knew we would check this out."

"Maybe they planted it after the crash, his partners could have known that the dead guy would eventually lead to us finding his identity on facial reg." Chin suggested, glancing around, his gaze falling onto the flaming mess burning happily brooding along, the force of the explosion did a lot of structural damage to the building but the walls were still standing. Standing but going up in flames. "I hope one of the neighbours called the fire department. We could use them right about now." He motioned to the house. Because this was a job for men and women trained to fight fires. "We should move away from this spot. It's not safe." He uttered as they felt a hot breeze of air reaching their spot.

Chin pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm relieved nothing happened to you. But that doesn't change that you're getting looked at by them."

"Where's Lou, Chin, have you seen the big guy?"

Kono glanced around, only to see Lou walking towards them.

"Ah, there he is."

Chin exhaled a relieved breath as he saw Grover alive and well.

"Did I just dream that or the did the damn house explode right under our noses?"

The former Chicago cop exclaimed that in a loud voice, not believing it. Chin responded with a askew grin.

"That really happened."

It then really sank in that they, if they had stayed inside the house, they could have been killed in the blast.

"Whoa, this is-" Chin stared at the burning house, bewilderment and consternation plastered all over the Hawaiian native's face as he tried to comprehend what just happened. "Hey, coz. We're all okay." Kono put a hand on Chin's shoulder as they gazed at the flames shooting out of the house while ignoring the headache present since that explosion. But she vowed to tell the paramedics who would undoubtedly check on all of them after what happened. "Let's move away from the burning house. Last thing we need is smoke inhalation." Lou led the way, Chin and Kono follwed at a slower pace.

"A trap." Chin got out.

"A fucking trap. They lured us here, hoping we'd be killed in that blast."

Kono glanced over to him, giving him a look that told him that that scared her.

First Danny and Steve and now _them_?

This is too weird to be a coincidence.

Those two incidents must be connected.

They probably _are_.

Seeing as the reason they were here was that this was dead guy's address, according to his driver's license.

Minutes after two fire trucks and a ladder pulled up the scene as well, followed by several police cars.

"Cavalry's here, guys."

Chin relayed to his team as he saw the first responders stopping their engines, and getting ready to work.

The fire captain from the first truck headed over to Chin, asking him questions about the fire and how it started. "It was an explosion, Captain."

Chin relayed pertinent information pertaining to the ongoing fire.

"We were lucky not to be inside when the explosion occurred."

Upon ascertaining the situation the captain returned to his fire truck to brief the fire fighters on what the situation is and how and where to get water from, where the fire is located and all the other important information that might affect their efforts of fighting the blaze. In the meantime, a communications center had been set up by the fire department to oversee and document the combined efforts of the fire brigade.

Before the captain left he tells Chin to get his people looked at by the waiting ambulances.

"Will do, Captain Akita." Chin replied, watching him walk away in his personal protective equipment.

"Chin, what the hell happened?"

In quick, long strides Sergeant Duke Lukela rushed toward him, Lou and Kono.

"It was a trap, Duke."

Chin inhaled deeply, gazing at Kono, first the first time seeing the gashes on her lower arms.

Must be from the asphalt they landed on he surmised.

"Lou, Kono. Get seen by the medics, I'll be with you guys in a second, just have to talk to Lukela for a minute." Chin motioned to the ambulance and the paramedics that just exited from the emergency vehicle, lights flashing but sirens turned off. Irresolute, Kono gazed over to her cousin, then to Lou Grover.

"Come on, Kono." Lou told his team mate, leading the way to the waiting medics.

"Fine."

She muttered that one-word response with a resigned sigh as she walked after Lou, reluctant to leave her cousin. Then she and Lou were led to different ambulances.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 6, Tripler Army Medical Center, 1950 Hours_**

"You're gonna keep her overnight?"

Chin had asked that question in a quiet and shaky tone, his tone growing lower at the end of the sentence.

The physician who had treated Kono nodded in reply.

"It's just a precaution, Lieutenant Kelly. She'll be fine. She has signs of a minor concussion that's why we're keeping her overnight. Other than that she's fine. We've treated the road rash but other than the minor concussion and the gashes on her lower arms she's alright. You were incredibly lucky. This could have ended differently, especially when you were so close to the explosion." Chin stood there, feeling a bit lost.

"You can see her if you like." The young physician continued, that made Chin look up.

"S-s-sure." Chin stammered, a bit overwhelmed by the events.

At least he and Lou had been cleared by the doctors working in the emergency department after the paramedics decided that it would be best if they went to the hospital, just to be sure.

She started walking again, Chin had trouble catching up with her.

"I'll take you to her." She told him then, "Follow me, lieutenant."

Chin did that.

When they stopped in front of a closed door Chin faltered, hesitated to open the door.

The doctor's voice brought him back to the real world.

"You can go in." She encouraged him. "Chin, there you are." Kono exclaimed as soon as she saw her cousin enter the room. Concerned, Chin glanced at her, it was more than obvious that he was worried about her. "How are you, coz?" Chin questioned, feeling the slightest, tiniest bit of guilt creeping up in him.

"Hey, coz."

Kono's face lit up instantly when she saw him enter the room, that face made him feel even guiltier than before.

"Coz, stop that." Kono looked right through him as she sat up in the bed.

Chin glanced away, unsure.

"I mean it."

Kono grasped his hand, pressed it. "This is not on you, coz."

A pause.

"Remember, you made the call to leave. It was the call that saved all of our lives. You didn't do this to us."

Chin swallowed, looking at his cousin. "Look, they'll probably release me tomorrow. I have headache, and the scrapes on my arms itch like crazy but other than that I am fine." Kono tried to reassure him. "Come here, coz." Kono stretched out her arms, wanting to give Chin a comforting hug. "No more guilt, Chin, okay?" Kono smiled as she buried her head in his shoulder. "There's nothing you could have done." Kono shook her head, man, sometimes her cousin took after Steve in certain things.

Blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault was one of those things.

Although, she could point out situations in which Danny had done the same thing. Probably that's how they were wired. Sighing softly, she gazed at her cousin, immediately seeing how tired he was from the happenings this afternoon.

"No more guilt." Chin resounded in a quiet voice.

"There you have it, coz." Kono gave him a smile, one that lights up his world every time since they've been little kids playing one beach, spending time at their uncles and aunties' places. "You need to go home, get some rest. Shower." Kono looked at him in concern. "I will be fine." She told him. "But you were in that explosion too. I'm sure you're sore too."

"I'll pick you up tomorrow." Chin got up from the edge of the bed.

Kono let out a laugh as she leaned back.

"I'll hold you to that."

"Love you, coz." Chin gave his cousin a hug before heading out the door. "Love you too, coz." Kono's response was warm and immediate.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 6, Iolani Palace, Honolulu, 2030 Hours_**

Even though Kono had told him to go home and rest, Chin did the exact opposite of that.

Instead he headed toward the Iolani Palace, wondering when Steve's former commanding officer and Wade Gutches would turn up. They weren't out there in the ocean, at least Chin hoped that they were back on the island before sundown.

Chin shook his head as he headed to his office, dropping down in his chair.

Feeling _lost_.

 _Lonely_.

He hid his face in his hands.

Like a _failure_.

How had it gotten this bad? How come they cannot figure out who's behind those attacks?

Three out five in the hospital, what a count. This had to be a newly set record. Losing track of time, Chin stared into the black that was his office.

He hadn't bothered to turn on lights when it was just him in the office.

Because his team mates were at home or in the hospital, thanks to some sick revenge fantasy.

That's what Chin thought.

But who had the means and resources of pulling something like this off? Quietly going through old cases, the Hawaiian native wrecked his brain thinking off possible suspects.

The only ones he could think of, Wo Fat and Gabriel Waincroft, were both dead.

As in 'buried in the ground' dead.

He sighed.

Unbeknownst to him, footsteps entered their work space, intruding on Chin's dark thoughts.

A hollow knock on the glass door caused him to look up, surprise visible on his face when he looked straight into the face of Commander Joe White, Wade lingering behind him.

"Huh?"

Chin made a sound, but without any motions of getting up.

"You alright, son?" Joe carefully studied the man's face expression.

"Yeah, yeah, fine."

Chin hurried to respond. Wade huffed in the background.

"Fine is the last word I'd use to describe your state." Joe stated, clearly concerned.

"Is it Kono? Steve? Danny?"

At the mention of Steve's name his heart sank a bit, just like every time when one told him the words 'still on ECMO' in relation to Steve's current condition.

Chin looked up but didn't respond to that question.

"I wondered why I haven't heard back from you guys, but when I turned on the radio I realized why." Commander Joe White said to Chin.

Apparently, he and Wade had returned from their little diving expedition. "We were a little busy." The police lieutenant answered in a cryptic tone, and proceeded to gaze at the former Navy man, then looked away again. "I heard about the explosion at that house in Kailua. It's all over the news and radio stations. The newscaster said you guys have been taken to the hospital." Joe shot a gaze at Chin, brows raised.

"Which raises the question, how come you are here?"

"Doctors cleared me." Chin responded, eyes on the wooden table in his office, not wanting to face Joe and Wade in the eyes.

They would immediately see something was off with him.

That it had to do with his cousin.

"You and the team alright?", he then added wanting to know how the other members of their team fared in the explosion.

"It's probably front page news by now, Joe."

Chin responded harsher and icier than Chin had intended. Joe, however, chalked it up to what happened in the last hours and he doesn't seem offended by the harsher tone. Chin took a deep breath, before continuing in a nervous, shaky voice. "I'm fine, so is Lou. He went home to be with his wife and kid. I- I really need this to end. Before we all end up dead. Someone is targeting us, Joe, and it somehow feels like that someone is not gonna rest until we-"

 _\- all end up fish food_.

"Slow down, son."

Wade gazed at the man in front of him, Chin turned away.

"Slow down and take a breather." Joe ordered in a commanding yet reassuring, calm tone.

Chin had no choice but to follow those commands.

He knew Joe only wanted to help because right now he was freaking out, just a tiny bit, understandable after what happened to his team. Six days since this nightmare had begun, and how long is it gonna last for? That's what he's asking himself. "Then you are gonna tell us what's going on so we can get this figured out." Commander Joe White went on, having picked up on the distressed tone.

Chin closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

"Okay," He then gazed the Navy guys standing in front him, ready to lend a helping hand.

"I'll be okay."

Chin sounded stressed, the fact that Kono had ended up in the hospital has not helped matters at all. It made _this_ even more personal to him than it already _is_. "So none of you were injured? You all got checked out?" Joe stepped slowly closer. "Kono, the doctors are keeping her overnight. Concussion. To make sure all is in order." Chin replied. "From what I can see, son, this is affecting you too." The Navy man stated in a calm manner.

Chin didn't answer.

Instead he opted for avoidance. "How was your dive anyways?"

"You want to hear about it?"

Chin was grateful for Joe White giving him the option to keep his mind off what had happened by telling him all about their dives.

"Yeah."

Both men wandered over to the Smart Table where Wade waited for them.


	15. Chapter 15

**Boat Trouble and Dangerous Waters**

 ** _Day 7, Intermediate Care Unit, 1700 Hours_**

"Hey, Chin, Danny."

Kono entered the hospital room.

Danny and Chin were discussing what seven days ago, which was very hard for Danny but he wanted them to know what happened because it might be helpful to them when suddenly the door opened and Kono stood there. Chin, having regained his calm and collected persona after yesterday, when Joe and Wade had helped him work through his freakout, looked kinda shocked to see his cousin here. "Please tell me you didn't drive, Kono?"

Kono shook her head.

"Adam dropped me off here." She smiled at Danny. "He says 'hi' by the way."

"Thanks." Danny responded warmly.

His glance wandered to Chin's somewhat sour facial expression.

"Aren't you supposed to be at home?" Chin questioned, putting the book aside. "I distinctly remember dropping you off there this morning after you got discharged. The doc said to rest, remember, coz?"

Kono blew out a breath. "I rested yesterday, slept well through the night and I did nothing all day. I just-"

"Ignored instructions?!" Chin muttered under his breath. "One hour, Kono."

"Fine."

Her reply came reluctant.

Danny had followed their conversation with growing interest. "What? Discharge? Chin, what's going on?" Danny asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Kono, what's Chin saying?"

Kono threw Chin a look that said 'The heck? Was that necessary?', before replying to Danny's fearful questions pertaining Kono's state of health. "I'm fine, Danny. Don't worry." She tried to be reassuring. Danny stared at her, disbelief written on face, resembling more and more the feisty detective they know and love. "You've spent too much time around Steve because this is the kind of bullsh*t he would come up with in regards to any health related issues, whether it be bleeding bullet holes or concussions. What happened to you?"

Danny wasn't fooled by Kono's act.

He could see the bruises on Kono's arms and left check.

"Explosion." Kono mumbled in a quiet tone, looking away.

"Minor concussion, few abrasions. I'm alright."

Danny sat up, at a loss of words.

Then after a few breaths, he stated. "They came after you guys too."

"More like rigging the dead guy's house that we checked out after it turned up in the course of the investigation." Chin interjected.

"Speaking of which, sit and rest."

Chin pointed at the recliner.

"Stubborn woman," He mumbled under his breath, hoping her actions wouldn't cause further trouble for Kono. Rolling her eyes, Kono complied with Chin's demand, knowing he only wants what's best for her.

The Jersey detective had been asleep on and off most of the day.

Chin and and now, also Kono (who came despite orders to rest) were by his side, to keep him company. Chin had left the room for some time, to pick up Grace from Rachel's house. Danny, however, had no idea that Grace had been allowed to visit. Also, to make things worse, Danny's doctor hadn't allowed him to visit Steve, which had worsened his mood. It made him quite grumpy. Kono's suggestion of trying to rest Danny merely pushed away.

Danny continued to tell Kono that he was feeling fine, good enough to be out of bed.

The doctor, however, saw things differently.

He didn't want to risk Danny's recovery by being up too early.

"Please, Kono, let me see him." Danny begged as he leaned forward, ignoring his aching muscles.

"You heard what the doctor said, Danny." Chin said in a pensive voice, knowing even if Danny was allowed to see Steve, right now he would not be allowed in there, after all she and Chin had been sent out because Dr. Kalani and the ECMO team wanted to perform a test to see whether or not Steve was ready to be weaned off of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. That would be tremendous progress, a step in the right direction, even if it was happening at the pace of a turtle.

"Chin-"

She'd been to visit Steve as often as the medical professionals allowed her and Chin to be by Steve's side.

In contrary to Danny Steve was still intubated and not breathing on his own. Danny huffed, annoyed at Kono's persistence. "I am well aware of that, Kono. That doesn't mean I like it."

Danny breathed out.

"I don't like it either, Danny. I hate this, seeing you guys suffer like this."

Kono swallowed back tears and turned away so that Danny wouldn't see the tears running down her cheeks.

Danny's fingers tapped nervously against the white blanket up to his chest. In this moment, the doctor entered the room to conduct a quick check on Danny.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 7, Intermediate Care Unit, 1715 Hours_**

A little while later, "But there is someone who would like to visit you." Chin said with a smile, just as the doctor had left the room to make sure Danny was recovering the way he should.

Danny frowned.

 _Who might that be_?

He threw Kono a questioning glance.

But she only shrugged.

Danny tilted his head on the pillow, trying to stare down Chin.

But he just smiled. _What's there to smile about_ , Danny glumly thought to himself, _I cannot get out of this bed to see Steve, who obviously needs me, and I can't see Grace. What is there to smile about, Chin Ho Kelly?_

"We know you can't see Steve yet, but we cleared this thing with the doctor." Chin said to Danny, a grin all over his face.

Chin and Kono are both hopeful that this will heighten Danny's spirits.

"What do you mean, Chin?"

Danny attempted to push himself up. "Hey, hey, hey. Go slow, Danny." Kono was by his side within seconds to steady him as he made that hasty movement. "Careful." She chastised, worried about him ripping the IV out. Danny couldn't care less about that, though as he focused on Kono, asking, "Does that mean I get to see Steve?" Kono and her cousin exchanged glances before responding to their Jersey detective's question.

"Not Steve but here is someone who wants to see you very much."

"Grace?"

Danny didn't dare to hope. His voice was quiet as his hands nervously gripped the blanket tighter.

The Hawaiian woman just smiled.

Danny glared at her for a moment before looking towards the door, curious.

"I'll be right back." Chin disappeared into the hallway where Grace and Rachel were standing.

Rachel had her arms around her daughter.

The last days have been very hard on Grace. Kono or Chin had called her twice a day to let her know whether or not there have been any changes. It was fortunate that the last few updates were filled with more positive news. Charlie's too small to understand what's going on. Grace stood there, restless and eager to see her dad. Chin could also see very clearly that she was scared, scared of what to expect.

"Can I-"

Grace looked at Chin, suddenly unsure. "Is he awake?" Grace's voice shook ever so slightly.

Chin nodded, a faint hint of a smile tracing his lips.

"Danny's awake, Grace. He's doing better." The Hawaiian assured Grace, the young girl trying to hide the fear inside her, of seeing her father once more in a vulnerable position in a hospital bed again. "Grace?" Rachel's voice sounded worried, the British woman not even trying to hide concern in her voice.

"I'll be fine."

Grace's voice suddenly grew stronger, more confident.

"I need to see Danno."

Quietly, Grace put her hand on the door handle, pushing it open. The sound made Danny look up.

"Grace?!" Danny exclaimed in a happy and excited voice, immediately a huge, bright smile crossed his features as at the same time, Danny attempted sitting up straighter in the hospital bed, not thinking about the lines and IVs. "You're here." He stated, wonderment in his voice as he kept his eyes on his daughter. He patted the edge of his bed as he noticed Grace seemed unsure. "Danno?" She asked, tentative, unsure of how to approach him.

Danny stretched out his arms.

At that, an honest smile lit up Grace's face, making Danny's heart flutter a bit.

But it was the good kind.

"Come here, Grace." With that, the rest of Grace's worries resolved when she saw that her father was already doing better than five days ago, when Danny and Steve had been found. Grace hurried over to Danny's hospital bed and gave her dad a careful hug, not wanting to let go. "Danno, are you really okay?" She repeated and couldn't quite keep the shiver out of her voice as she held onto Danny. "Am I okay?" Danny questioned, he gazed at Grace, her hand firmly in his own to give her a sense of security, "Of course I am okay. I'm Danno." Another tentative smile.

"But you almost weren't." Grace whispered, looking away. "I was so scared, Danno. So scared that I might have lost you."

 _Forever_.

At such a young age.

At that, Danny's heart broke into a million pieces.

For _Grace_.

He leaned forward, no matter how uncomfortable it was and enveloped Grace in a hug.

Danny knew she needed one.

To be honest, he _needed_ one too.

"Danno's here, monkey, Danno's here."

Grace leaned into his embrace, seeking the much-needed comfort, tears of relief running down her face as she was in her father's arms again. "I'm here." Danny repeated softly, running his hand up and down Grace's back in a comforting motion. "I'll be okay, monkey."

"I love you, Danno." Grace murmured. "I love you too, monkey." Danny replied in a low but loving voice.

An hour later, Grace was there, snuggled next to Danny on the bed.

Kono smiled at the cute scene in front of them.

"Hey, guys." Danny greeted them quietly, careful not to wake up Grace. "How long has Grace been here?" Chin questioned, a hint of a smile on his face. "Rachel's gonna pick her up." Danny glanced at his watch. The time spent with Grace always passed rather quickly, too quick for his liking. "Soon, I think." He gazed over to the windows, then back at Grace. Then, Danny's demeanor changed, rapid. "Guys, how's Steve?" Danny wanted to know, a low grunt escaped his lips as he unconsciously shifted. All he wanted to know was how Steve was.

Danny was itching to get out of this hospital bed and see his best friend and brother, he was sure it would do Steve good, help with his recovery.

"Who's with him?"

Danny grimaced slightly as Grace moved against his incision while sleeping.

This time it was Chin who answered.

"Lou's with him. Kono and I have taking turns in sitting with the two of you, at least since the doctors have allowed visitors in Steve's room in intensive care. In the beginning we weren't able to visit." Danny nodded, leaning back into the pillows, listening to the soft dripping sounds the IV bags made when the medication dropped into the chamber before entering the IV line.

Kono swallowed, she'd hoped for better news too give to Danny.

"Unfortunately, Steve's condition remains unchanged as he's still depending on the ventilator that is maintaining his breathing." Danny's physician entered the room, Danny's chart in his hands, followed by a nurse. "I took the liberty on checking on the commander before coming here." Kono and Chin stared at the man in surprise. Danny looked away, breathing in, feeling his hands shaking slightly. The doctor moved on to check Danny's vitals.

"Of course." Danny said, his voice toneless. "He's Steve. He never does anything halfway."

Danny's doctor raised a brow but didn't say anything.

Pause.

"I need to see him." Danny kept insisting.

Danny's doctor was saved from answering by the arrival of his patient's ex-wife. But his girl was smart, she would eventually know something was wrong. "Hey, Daniel." Rachel leaned in the doorway. "How are you doing?" She asked politely, looking around in the room. "This looks worse than it is." Danny muttered, motioning to the monitoring equipment around his bed. Rachel quirked an eyebrow at him. "I am sure those monitors are there for a reason." She simply said, still remembering the sombre look on the doctor's face when he had come to update the rest of the team, Grace and her.

"They're still annoying." Danny answered definitely referring to the leads, stretching, therefore waking up Grace.

"Mom." Grace exclaimed as she saw her mother.

Danny looked up at his ex-wife. Rachel frowned when she saw him. She had figured that he wouldn't look particularly good after having been through something like this, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad, since he was no longer in intensive care. Yet Danny was still paler than usual and seemed to tire more easily. But in contrary to Steve he seemed to be recovering accordingly. Tentatively, Rachel stepped into the room, looking around.

"Rach." Danny muttered under his breath, sitting up straighter.

A pained hiss escaped his lips.

"Ouch." He gritted out.

Grace watched her father with a concerned expression on her face which Danny instantly noticed.

"Come here, Grace."

Unsure, Gracie traipsed back to her Danno's bed. Danny motioned for her to hop on his bed. When she sat on the edge of his bed, Danny leaned over to give her a hug. No matter how much his incision pulled and protested, the feeling of having Grace here with him and in his arms was worth it.

The need of protecting her from all the bad, especially these things.

But in his line of work Grace had been subjected to this a hell of a lot earlier that Danny had ever wanted to. All the times he'd gotten hurt on the job, and Steve who adored his daughter and Grace adored him. Now that same man was lying in a bed in intensive care unit connected to all kind of monitors, dependant on a ventilator, all because a fishing trip turned into a boat disaster, a ship rigged with explosives and a storm.

Danny wished he could be with him, but his injuries kept him from seeing Steve.

 _Damned pulmonary edema_ , he found himself thinking.

That is, the doctors and nurses did.

When Danny broke the hug, he looked Grace in the eyes, telling her, "I'm gonna be alright, monkey. I got hurt but I will get better. I promise."

Danny smiled at his beautiful daughter. resisting the urge to hug her again.

"Promise?"

Grace's eyes were big as she focused solely on Danny.

"You have to get better, Danno. You're my Danno." She said to him. "I love you so much, monkey." Danny whispered, smiling slightly.

"Love you too, Danno."

Grace suddenly looked away, unsure of how to approach that topic.

"What is it, monkey?" Danny asked in a soft tone, as he took Grace's smaller hands into his own.

"What about Uncle Steve, Danno?"

Grace's brown eyes were thoughtful and there was worry in her eyes.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Danny heaved a sigh as he sat up straighter before answering Grace's question.

Danny quite honestly did not have an answer to that.

"I hope so, Grace."

Danny replied, unsure of what to tell her when he didn't have much information on Steve's condition in the first place. "But I don't know. All I know is that Uncle Steve is a fighter and he won't go without a fight. Grace's breath hitched, and a painful lump was in her throat.

Danny's evasive answer was answer enough.

"Grace." Rachel's voice had a slight undertone in it. Grace gave her dad one last hug, whispering in his ear, "Get better soon. I love you, Danno."

Rachel gave him a sincere smile.

"Hope you get well soon, Daniel." She said before maneuvering Grace, who didn't want to leave yet, out of the room. "We gotta get going too." Chin said with a sigh. "You need some quiet from us. And not to mention, Kono here needs to go home." Danny and Kono exchanged glances. "Bye, guys. Thanks for this." Danny looked at the cousins. "I really needed this." Meaning the visit of Grace. "No problem, _kaʻu hoaaloha_." An hour or two after Grace and Rachel as well as the cousins had left, his doctor came to check on him. Chin had insisted on dropping Kono off at home. Danny had been dozing since the cousins had left.

It was the doctor's arrival woke him up.

Tiredly he glanced at the doctor who smiled slightly before asking how he's feeling.

Danny shrugged.

"Good, I guess. I'd feel better, though, if you would let me see Steve."

Danny watched the doctor work.

"Detective."

The doctor's voice sharpened.

"I know, I know. I was in serious trouble." Danny replied, looking down. "But I am awake, talking, in contrary to Steve. Who I care about, a lot. Like a whole lot. I'd never tell that to his face but it's the simple truth."

Danny paused, a small part of him wondered if it was a good thing to share so much of his personal life with his doctor but then, the circumstances called for it.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I need to see him, doc." Danny hoped to have a shot a negotiating with the doctor.

"It's not that I am not grateful, I am."

Danny stopped.

"I know Steve, who I consider my brother, we share a liver, damn it." Danny shook his head.

"I need to be there for him."

The doctor sighed, he was well aware of his patient's relationship with Dr. Kalani's patient. He and Dr. Kalani were buddies, often times go out for drinks when they have time off. Their breaks were spent together. Now, the two patients the helo had brought to them, it became so much more important to get the both of them through this. "You get to see him tomorrow, that is if you rest now. I won't have you overdoing things." The doctor said earnestly, urging Danny to look at him.

"Steve is in good hands, my colleague is very good at what he does. He'll do everything he can. But you need to recover as well, detective. So, please, listen."

Danny suddenly chuckled, not quite knowing where that came from.

"Normally, it would be Steve who causes this kind of chaos."

Danny shook his head holding back a chuckle that was rising in his throat, grabbing a hold of the blanket and pulling it up to his chin, he watched the doctor's administrations. When the doctor walked out of Danny's hospital room, Danny had trouble falling asleep, already thinking of tomorrow and what would await him when he gets to see Steve.

That doesn't leave much room for rest.

But somehow, he must have managed to fall asleep.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 8, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles, California, 1100 Hours_**

Mary McGarrett rocked the crying toddler in a gentle motion as she impatiently waits for her gate to be called.

"It's okay, Joanie."

She mumbled in a shivering voice hugging her small daughter, "It'll all be alright."

She pressed a kiss on Joan's forehead, trying to think about something other than Steve, and that he had landed himself in the hospital, that his condition wasn't good. Flashing back to _that_ phone call, Kono's grave voice as she told her about Steve and Danny, urging her to come back to Hawaii immediately because Steve needs her to be there for him. Joanie still continued to cry softly, Mary wasn't even sure why, maybe it was the unfamiliar environment, the stark noises and public announcements concerning flights and gates, and related issues and not to mention, loud conversations in every direction and the overall busy atmosphere at one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. One older woman looked at her with a deep frown, wearing a business suit and expensive shoes.

A breath and internally counting to ten, Mary ignored the evil glances the woman cast at her.

"Excuse me, miss? Miss?" She cleared her throat noticeably to catch Mary's attention. That woman's voice penetrated Mary's thoughts causing her to gaze up.

"Can you make your kid stop crying?"

Mary merely glanced at her.

"It's annoying everyone around you." She told her, rummaging through her handbag pulling out what seemed like a small travel beauty bag. "Shush, Joanie. Soon we'll be home.", meaning Hawaii, where she had grown up before having been sent back to the mainland, to live with her Aunt Deb after her mom's 'death'. The soothing sound of Mary's made the girl stop crying.

"Home?" She repeated, her big blue eyes intently gazing at Mary who nodded.

"Home, to your Uncle Steve."

"S'eve."

"That's right, sweetie. To Uncle Steve. We love him very much, don't we?"

Mary checked her phone. She wanted to see if Kono had sent any updates.

But there were no messages from Kono.

She'd tried to catch an earlier one but no chance, even asking different airlines whether they had any seats available on such short notice.

"Damn it." She expressed herself, accidently a bit louder than anticipated which earned her another annoyed face.

Mary only rolled her eyes.

Some people had problems.

For a second, Mary pondered whether to give Kono a quick call.

But eventually she decided against it. If there was any change at all in Steve's condition Kono would call her. That's what they had agreed on when Kono had first called to inform her of what had happened. Upon getting that dreaded phone call, Mary had been shocked, to say the least. Her first reaction had been to slide down the wall and keep herself from crying.

She had been upset and confused, couldn't understand how something like this could have happened to her big brother.

Steve had always been the strong one.

 _Always_.

But, then the first painful reminder came.

The plane crash in which Danny undoubtedly saved her brother's life by giving him a piece of his liver.

And now _this_.

This drove home to them that Steve was just as human and vulnerable to injury as any of them.

Just thinking about this caused tears to shine in her eyes.

With a hasty motion, Mary wiped them away, decidedly not wanting to show such strong emotion amidst the chaos of a crowded airport with loads of people observing other people as they waited for their flights to be called.

Steve would make it, she would just have to convince herself of that.

Easier said than done.

Pushing away the thoughts of that changing moment, she diverted her attention to the present.

A frustrated by the lack of information concerning her brother, Mary reached for her purse, pulling out the tickets she'd purchased online five nights before. This was kind of a last minute thing, this was the earliest flight she had been able to purchase plane tickets for. Sure, there was a layover at another airport on one of the Hawaiian Islands, she was not sure which one but she takes what she can get being in this situation. When boarding this specific flight meant being reunited with Steve quicker, arriving in Honolulu quicker she'll deal with the long layover on one of the neighbouring islands.

 _"_ Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for Hawaiian Airlines flight L924 to Honolulu. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you. _"_ The intercom crackled slightly and the voice quietening.

Let's go, Mary thought, this is our cue.

Grabbing the hand luggage, and Joan's carrier, Mary made her way over to the queue forming near Gate 51, Terminal 5.

The line only moved only haltingly.

When it was their turn, Mary handed over passports and boarding passes and the woman operating the check-in counter quickly waved them through, through a gangway they reached the interior of the plane. About ten minutes later, Mary and Joanie had boarded Hawaiian Airlines flight L924 heading to Honolulu.

Mary and Joanie had been one of the first to board the waiting plane due Joanie's age.

As she and Joanie boarded the plane, another glance at the boarding passes told Mary that she's seated on 10C, and Joanie 10B. Mary buckled herself and Joanie in. After the rest of the passengers had boarded the flight, she hoped they would soon get takeoff clearance and take of soon. _"_ Ladies and gentlemen, Aloha and welcome onboard Flight L924 with service from Los Angeles to Honolulu, with a five-hour layover in Kona, Hawai'i. We are currently seventh in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately twenty minutes time. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is prohibited for the duration of the flight. Thank you for choosing Hawaiian Airlines. Enjoy your flight. _"_

But for now it didn't look that way as their flight was a bit delayed.

Their plane were supposed to take off at eleven, now it's nearing noon and they were the seventh plane waiting to take off from LAX.

It probably didn't help matters that the Los Angeles airport was exceptionally busy pretty all the time.

The younger McGarrett leaned her head against the cool porthole, looking out to see other planes of the same airline and the taxi way. Mary sighed in relief when the plane started taxiing toward the runway. As the plane got faster, the point of no return was reached and soon they were flying, with another seven hours of flying, across the Pacific Ocean, ahead of them. But due to the gentle rocking of the plane, Mary quickly fell asleep and she welcomed that.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 8, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 1220 Hours_**

It has been eight days since Steve has been put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Seven days since the rescue.

In the beginning, the mechanical life support had consisted of femoro-femoral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, after two days of both cardiac and pulmonary support Dr. Kalani and the ECMO team decided to do a weaning trial to see if it is possible to wean him off extracorporal life support. After a one-hour weaning trial under echocardiographic guidance, it had been possible to convert the veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Dr. Kalani had made an exception about the strict visitors' policies.

Kono and Chin had been allowed to visit twice in seven days. Once while on VA- ECMO and when the team of doctors switched Steve onto VV- ECMO. The cousins had been shocked to see Steve connected to a machine circulating and oxygenating his blood. What had awaited the cousins in Steve's cubicle in the cardiac intensive care unit had been unlike anything they had seen before. Kono's eyes had widened when she first sighted the circuit, the tubes, the oxygenator Steve was connected to. That reaction was to be expected.

Dr. Kalani had been there with them so that they could ask him anything, any questions they might have concerning the Commander's treatment, as it surely was a lot to take in.

"Chin."

Tears glistened in the young woman's eyes.

Unsure of how to react, or what to do, she merely stood there amidst the beeping, blinking devices, and what stood out most, the ECMO circuit Steve's life depended on right now.

Tubes and lines were omnipresent, there were cannulae going into Steve's thigh.

"I know."

A stoic expression hid Chin's real feeling and concealed any emotions so that they wouldn't be exposed on his face.

She was scared to come closer, terrified she might accidentally do something to the circuit. Chin merely nodded in reply, understanding where his cousin was coming from. This was hard on all of them. What scared him was that they had to talk to Danny about this at some point. But if the attempts of weaning Steve off that thing failed, what would be next? "I can't believe either." Kono felt Chin stepping next to her, reaching for her hand.

Chin pressed it gently, offering support, as much as possible in this situation.

"Steve will make it." Chin simply stated causing Kono to look at him. "I know we don't know but I have to believe that."

 _We don't know that._

They had been shocked, to say the least.

It had been a rather gruesome sight, seeing the normally so agile and healthy man connected to so many tubes and lines, depending on machines to stay alive.

Chin and Kono had been allowed short, ten-minutes visits.

A physician assistant had been in the background, always there to make sure the machine was functioning and there were no troubles like kinked tubes or accidental decannulation. The medical team had decided to transition him to veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation due to pulmonary dysfunction. That was because Steve's pulmonary function still hadn't improved the way the doctors would have wanted to see- which at this point and time was recovery of pulmonary function.

Kono gazed up when she heard someone entering the cubicle. A physician assistant and Dr. Kalani who was pushing an ultrasound machine into the cubicle. Frowning, Kono eyed this piece of machinery. "I have to ask you to leave the room while we perform some tests. This will take an hour, approximately."

Chin merely nodded, accepting the doctor's explanation.

But not so Kono.

She wanted to find out more about what's going on with their boss, and most importantly, their friend.

Their _close_ friend.

"We definitely have to leave?"

Kono asked that question in a quiet almost resigned tone. She doesn't want to leave, doesn't want to leave Steve.

"Yeah, that would be better, we need the room."

Dr. Kalani's reply was immediate.

Kono heaved a sigh, stepping back, her eyes never leaving the circuit.

Chin swallowed.

This time he had allowed them to stay fifteen minutes instead of the usual ten minutes.

"But-"

"I'm sorry. I know this must be hard."

"No, you don't." Kono shot back. "You have no idea of how hard it is to see someone of your _'ohana_ , someone you care about, like this." She motioned to the circuit with all its tubes, connectors and the oxygenator.

Dr. Kalani was apologetic when he said that.

At the same time, the physician assistant set up the ultrasound for the echocardiogram that they would perform to get baseline parameters, the ones they needed to compare them to the readings they would get during the weaning trial, hopefully, they would be able to decannulate completely this time, no more cannulation, no bypassing the lungs. The heart was already pumping the blood through Steve's body although at first, after the switch from VA ECMO to VV ECMO, McGarrett's heart had struggled to keep pumping despite the vasopressors given through the central venous catheter and the inotropic support, however, after some adjustment of the medication dosages Steve's cardiac function gradually yet slowly recovered.

Chin doesn't want to leave either but if the doctors needed the space for their testing, they had no choice but to leave. It was the right thing to do but it did not mean that it doesn't hurt.

Because it does hurt.

A _lot_.

Seeing Steve and also Danny like this hurt, and all was due to the damned fishing trip. And no one had seen this coming.

"Kono, let the doctor do his job. Can we come back later, Dr. Kalani? Would that be possible? It would be greatly appreciated." Chin questioned with a sigh.

Chin's gaze rested on Steve's unmoving body covered with tubes and lines going in all sorts of places.

Kono breathed in harshly as she listened to the doctor's reply to her cousin's question.

"That depends on the Commander's physical state. I will let you know as soon as I have further news on Steve's condition." Dr. Kalani replied, at the same time more medical personnel entered the cubicle, including Steve's ECMO team.

Then the procedure was started.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 8, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 1340 Hours  
_**

When Chin and Kono saw Steve's doctor approach, both Kono and Chin immediately got up from their chairs.

"How is he?" Chin questioned, slightly on edge. Dr. Kalani calmly replied, "We have performed a weaning trial which was successful."

"Does that mean he can be taken off ECMO?" Kono sounded hopeful.

This seemed to be good news.

"That's what it means. Right now, we're bringing him to the operating room where the decannulation will be performed and the femoral arterial cannulae and femoral venous cannulae inserted via surgical cutdown approach will be removed by the cardiothoracic surgical team." He explained, Kono and Chin, exchanging glances.

Then Dr. Kalani's pager went off.

"The operating room's paging me, patient's ready and prepped. I better get going."

Probably Steve, Kono thought.

"Wait, Dr. Kalani."

Kono stepped forward.

The doctor turned around, facing Kono. "Please do your absolute best."

"I will."

Then Dr. Kalani headed off to the operating room where a cardiothoracic surgical team was waiting to decannulate his patient leaving Chin and Kono standing in the hallway.

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 8, Tripler Army Medical Center, Waiting Room, 1650 Hours_**

Lou Grover found Chin and Kono in the waiting room of the surgical ward, waiting for news on Steve. "Hey." He said, giving both Chin and Kono a cup of coffee that he'd been carrying in a cardboard container.

"I thought you could need this."

The older man sighed as he plopped down on a chair next to Chin.

"You name it, brother."

"All this waiting makes me crazy," Lou muttered resigned as he brushed his hand over his face. "Any news on Steve?" He wanted to know. "Why are you sitting here, and not with Steve?" A frown suddenly crossed Lou's face.

But Chin's answer changed that relatively quickly.

"Steve's in surgery," Chin replied, brushing his hands over his face.

"Surgery?"

Chin nodded in response to Lou's instantly asked question.

"They are removing the ECMO circuit."

The Hawaiian replied as he leaned into the chair, still thinking about all the different possibilities of what could go wrong, lapsing into quiet as they all waited. There was a lot of stuff that could. Kono had gotten up and started pacing, up and down.

Lou grinned.

"That's great." He said with a smile. "Looks like our boys finally turned the corner."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Lou."

Chin was skeptical and he was man to admit it.

He knew _Steve_.

Knew what Danny called him lovingly. _Trouble magnet_. And often times, the blonde detective who was, in some ways, the heart of this task force, was right about this assertion. Steve was a magnet for this. This was proof of that. Chin took a deep breath as he tried to focus on more positive thoughts. This surgery, or more decannulation, was a good thing. That is if decannulation is successful if there aren't any complications. Knowing Steve, this might very well end in catastrophe, them having to put Steve back on so he doesn't want to get his hopes up in case they're smashed again.

"Coz, would you please sit?" Chin questioned gently. "All this pacing is making me nervous."

With a sigh, Kono complied.

"I just wish they would tell us anything." She added, sitting back down, her gaze wandering towards the clock on the wall, right above the door.

Time ticked by slowly, seconds turn into minutes, minutes into hours.

It seemed that way, at the very least.

Growing impatient, she could feel her anxiety grow.

"That's it." She muttered.

"This, just sitting here makes me feel helpless. I am going to see how Danny's doing." She turned to Chin, asking him to inform should they hear anything about Steve's condition.

A mere nod and a forced half-smile were the answer Kono got from her cousin.

Kono left the waiting room, slowly walking through the hallway, and towards Danny's room in the cardiac intermediate care unit. When she put her head into the door, she saw Danny, slumbering, head slightly tilted to the left, away from the door. Quietly, Kono traipsed into the hospital room, trying not to make any noise that might wake Danny up. She sat down on the chair standing in the corner, for a while she just listened to the steady blips of Danny's cardiac monitor while watching him sleep. Grace's visit yesterday had clearly lifted up his spirits, for that Kono was immensely grateful. Maybe soon, Danny would be able to see Steve too, without that machine, if all goes well today.

Kono had no idea for how long she'd been sitting next to Danny's bedside when she suddenly saw a tiny movement at the edge of her vision.

"Danny?" Kono whispered, more attentive.

Danny's eyes fluttered open for a slight moment.

He gave a quiet sigh before tiredness dragged him back under.

When Kono returned to the waiting room she was a little surprised to see Joe White and Jerry among the waiting people. An hour later, Steve's primary doctor came out to inform them about Steve's condition. "So that means Steve's off that machine that was essentially keeping him alive?" Kono demanded answers, she looked at the doctor standing in front them, dressed in scrubs. Hoping for answers, answers that would give some sort reassurance.

Chin reached for her hand and pressed it, gentle.

Dr. Kalani continued in a firm voice, a somber look crossed his features.

"We were able to successfully wean him off extracorporal membrane oxygenation. He has a perfusing rhythm and a normal core temperature. But I have to tell you that there's the risk of pulmonary complications. He could develop edema or acute respiratory distress syndrome which may require putting him back on that machine. The Commander, however, is still intubated and sedated and will remain so until his pulmonary function recovers. But there have been significant improvements in his pulmonary and cardiac function. Without those improvements, we wouldn't have taken him off ECMO." Dr. Kalani glanced at the room, noticing that they seemed fairly shocked but also to some extent, relieved.

"Can we visit?" Joe dared to ask the question they all wanted the answer to.

Kono threw him a look.

When had he been by to see Steve?

Quite honestly, she doesn't know.

But it wasn't her place to say anything, either.

So Kono Kalakaua just focused on what was important, Danny's and Steve's recovery. Dr. Kalani had already anticipated someone would ask this question, it was pretty much a standard question, yet in these scenarios, in cases like this, it was a delicate one as well.

"I think it would be best if you'd let the Commander rest. You can come to visit tomorrow."

Another apologetic face expression.

With a disappointing sigh, Kono sagged down in her chair.

But; and that's what she reminded herself of, Steve made it off ECMO despite the odds being against him.

Steve's primary physician and the involved ECMO team had provided outstanding, high-quality care, leading to Steve's decannulation from the machine. "Thanks for everything." Joe strode forward to shake the doctor's hand in gratitude. Honoured by this gesture, Dr. Kalani replied with a nonplussed, modest laugh, he too was feeling relieved that his patient had made it this far. To be honest, he hadn't thought Steve would make it this far, but that's something he doesn't want to dwell on now, after this major achievement and breakthrough in Steve's care. This was a vital step in the right direction, even if Steve's progress had occurred at a rather slow pace.

In this moment, Kono felt her phone vibrate.

When she gazed at the display, she saw that the message was from Steve's sister who had flown in.

"Chin?"

"Yeah?" Chin gazed at her. "Mary's landed at Honolulu International Airport." Kono told him, motioning to her phone. "She's taking a cab to the hospital." "We can pick her up." Chin frowned at that. "Apparently, she doesn't want to intrude." Chin only shook her head at that. "No way, she's Steve's family." He then said. "Come on, Kono, we'll go pick her up. You heard what the doctor said, no visitors until tomorrow."

"Someone needs to inform Danny." Lou interjected. "Let me do that."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 _ **Day 8, Honolulu International Airport, 1900 Hours**_

"Mary?" Kono called her name.

"Kono, that you?" Mary rushed out, Joan on her arms, her luggage standing next to her. She's already been to baggage claim, now she was waiting for Kono after she had insisted on picking her up. Kono and Chin walked up to her in fast strides. Mary's eyes were red, as if she'd cried. Maybe she had.

"How's Steve doing?"

Mary stared at Kono, ignoring all the happily smiling tourists walking past them.

Chin cleared his throat before answering.

"He's been improving a bit." Chin told her.

"I wanna see him."

She had responded in a strong, determined voice.

"I know you do but his doc says no visitors until tomorrow." Chin hated to see the darkness cover her face expression. She had flown all this way and now she can't even see him? He had no idea how this must feel like for her.

Voice breaking she asked why.

"Because they surgically removed the ECMO circuit this afternoon. Now he's only on a vent." Mary bit her lip, suddenly conscious of the fact that they were surrounded by a lot of foot traffic, people walking by and staring at him. "So the machine is gone?" Mary questioned, unsure about the newest development. "He's not breathing on his own yet but the machine supporting his heart and lungs is no longer there." Chin hurried with his explanation.

"I know which machine we're talking about." Steve's sister responded, stressed.

Chin nodded.

"He's doing better, Mary." He added.

Tears filled her eyes.

"That's good."

She said that in a whisper. "But I'd still like to see him."

Joan seemed to sense that and instantly started wailing loudly, squirming around listlessly.

Kindly, Kono offered to take her. "Let me." Kono saw a flicker of gratitude rush over Mary's haunted face as she held Joan, gently rocking her in a soothing motion. "Why don't we get out of here." Chin suggested, taking Mary's luggage. Mary nodded. "But can we stop by?" She asked, locking eyes with Kono. "Maybe Steve's doctor will let me see him for a few minutes." Hope sounded in her voice. "We can try but be prepared, he might say no anyhow." Chin did not want her to get her hopes up only for it to be a complete and utter disappointment.

"Why don't we drop you off at Steve's, let you and Joanie settle in and then go visit Steve first thing in the morning." Kono suggested. "I have to see him, Kono. He's my big bro."

 **H50 H50 H50 H50**

 ** _Day 9, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, 0830 Hours_**

Chin was first into the glassed-in cubicle.

This is practically the first time he sees Steve without the mechanical circulatory support and only with a ventilator that was still in place to help Steve breathe. He observed the mechanical rise and fall, up and down of Steve's chest as air was pumped into his lungs

Seeing Steve without the ECMO circuit was a relief.

At least they were no longer at a point where his heart and lungs were too weak for basic functions, sure, Steve's lungs still weren't ready to do to well on their own hence the fact that the mechanical vent hadn't been removed but they were heading in the right direction.

Chin had been up early, and he had had a nutritious breakfast and he'd also taken a shower.

That shower's effect on him had been relaxing and calming, in contrast to the jumbled up emotional state during the last few days.

Shortly before leaving the house he'd texted Kono, telling her to sleep in and that he and Lou would sit with Steve and Danny. Chin knew his cousin was tired, and worn out, that she needed some decent rest. Chin leaned back in his chair. Steve's heart rate made visible by the heart monitor and the electrodes on his thorax plodded along at a more or less steady rate of sixty beats per minute. Then back to the man's face, the endotracheal tube connected to the mechanical ventilator protruding from Steve's mouth.

"Hey, Steve." Chin paused, unsure if Steve would even hear him.

"Danny's doing well. He wants to see you, buddy. So, you better wake up soon. Just-"

There was no response from the ventilated man, other than beeping monitors and the whirring sound from the mechanical ventilator. "Just keep fighting, brah." Chin went on, his tone quieter. The heart rate on the monitor quickened slightly, just for moment.

Chin glanced up.

Maybe they were getting somewhere.

 _Progress_.

Slowly, but still, progress.


End file.
